A Light in the Dark
by River9Noble
Summary: (JL: Animated Series) Diana knows she and Bruce have a connection. But it's always push and pull and Bruce always ends their tango with pushing her away. Until the next time. Except one night at a party, Lex Luthor notices Diana's sadness and offers a dance to make Bruce jealous, but accidentally makes Diana fall in love with him instead. **Next update 9/27, see A/N in last chapter
1. Chapter 1

_A/N This takes place in The Justice League: Animated Series universe. If you've never heard Lex's voice from the animated series, seriously, stop right now and google a clip of it. Because it is the freakin' sexiest voice known to humankind. And hearing it in your head will add to this story. So go listen right now. I mean it. _

_This is an actively updated longfic. A new chapter posts once a week. _

_**Chapter 1**_

"Diana." His deep voice, rich as a cello, caused Wonder Woman to turn towards him.

"Lex," she said, raising an eyebrow. They were at a charity ball for medical technology research hosted in Gotham but with invitees from across the region. Wayne Enterprises, S.T.A.R. Labs, and LexCorp were the three heaviest hitters in attendance, much to Bruce's displeasure, but it wasn't his party so there wasn't much that he could do about it.

Diana had attended at Bruce's suggestion (not _invitation_; she had noted the distinction with a sigh) to lend some star power to the event since her identity as Wonder Woman wasn't a secret like those of certain superheroes she could name.

Clark was here, but as a reporter for The Daily Planet. He didn't even have Lois at his side; charity events weren't a big enough beat for the Pulitzer Prize winner to cover. Although Diana was sure that Lois would have been here as Clark's date if she wasn't tied up on a story. Because they were a couple. Who attended events together.

"May I have a dance?" Lex asked her.

"Why?" Diana asked him curiously. It was an open secret that the Justice League was out to thwart any and all of Lex's more sinister schemes, of which he had many, even though he had as of yet managed to evade responsibility for them enough to keep living a merry public life as the billionaire CEO of LexCorp.

"A beautiful woman should never be standing alone at a party," Lex said to her smoothly. "And," he added with a sly smile, "Bruce is watching."

"Oh!" Diana said, a small smile blooming on her face as she considered the merits of Lex's proposal. "Yes," she said with a gracious smile, not breaking eye contact with him for one second to scan the room for Bruce. "I'd love to dance."

Lex put his hand out and took hers, walking her to the dance floor where he began expertly leading her in the inevitable waltz that always made its way into the classical set list at these types of stuffy social events that were so much a part of his world. And of Bruce's world, too, Diana realized.

She and Lex didn't talk at first and Diana was content to enjoy the rhythm and movement of the dance as Lex twirled her around the room, her long skirt flowing in time to the music. Lex truly was an excellent dancer, Diana realized. Honestly the best partner she'd had all night.

When she moved her gaze from over his shoulder to his face, she was slightly startled to see him looking down at her with a small smile on his lips.

"What?" she asked him, flushing slightly.

"It's nice to see you enjoying yourself," Lex said, and there was an honesty to it that surprised her.

"Well, these parties are always dull," Diana said politely, feeling a little flustered.

"They'd be a lot less dull for you if Bruce would keep you company," Lex pointed out bluntly. Diana felt herself blushing even more and turned her gaze to back over Lex's shoulder as she answered.

"Well, he's busy…" she said lamely, knowing how awfully pathetic it sounded even to her own ears. Because the truth was, Bruce hadn't spoken to her all night. Or asked her to dance. He didn't _invite_ her to come with him, she knew that, but she'd thought that they could at least socialize a little bit throughout the evening.

She'd hoped that he'd been hinting at doing exactly that when he'd suggested that she come. Actually, more than hoped - she'd assumed. And now she felt stupid, and hurt, and tired, and frustrated like she did so many days with Bruce. He knew there was a spark between them. They'd both gone so far as to acknowledge it to each other.

But… Bruce just… _wouldn't_… go further with it. Except he didn't back off, either, and Diana was left feeling hopelessly attached to him and stuck on a never ending roller coaster of emotions. She'd never been on a roller coaster, actually, but Clark had used the phrase once and explained them to her and she thought it fit her situation perfectly. She'd gotten her hopes up once again, thought Bruce was offering more, and instead she found herself plummeting back to disappointment and rejection.

"He's not busy," Lex said to her authoritatively. "He's a moron." That statement caused Diana's eyes to jump to Lex's again, and she was shocked to see kindness in them. Funny, she had formed an opinion of Lex since working against him with the Justice League that had ruled out his possession of a kind heart. Yet here he was, not only dancing with her when Bruce wasn't, but concerned that Bruce was ignoring her.

Diana bit her lip and looked down, feeling the sadness wash over her again. "Why do you care?" she asked Lex softly, not meanly at all but genuinely curious.

"Why do I care that Bruce is a moron? I don't," Lex said in his presumptuously arrogant tone that he was so fond of projecting. "But I do care that he's hurting a beautiful soul. It's a crime to mar something so pure. Even a man like me knows that." Diana looked up in wonder and met Lex's eyes again even though she had to blink away the tears that were forming.

All she saw in his face was sincerity and genuine concern and the feelings that flooded her spirit of being cared for, and noticed, and worth an effort felt like the most refreshing rainfall after a long drought.

"Thank you," Diana told Lex softly, holding him a little tighter as they continued to dance. They moved for a while more without speaking, and then Diana said, "There's nothing that I can do about it, though. I care too much. I try to pull away, but he's in so much pain that I can't help coming closer again, and then I feel things for him that he feels, too, but won't return…and then here I am, again," she ended with a slightly bitter laugh. "Standing alone at a party."

"You're not alone now," Lex pointed out with a suave smile.

"No," Diana said, a warmer smile stretching across her face. "I'm not. Thank you for that, Lex."

"It is my absolute pleasure," Lex said to her, meeting her eyes and meaning it. Diana smiled more and leaned into him a little bit as they continued to whirl around the ballroom. Lex's hand on her back became more of an intimate touch than that of an impersonal dance partner. Not in a sexual way, though, Diana noticed. But … almost like a friend. A romantic friend?

But one who wasn't trying to take advantage of her and that in and of itself was a huge relief. Bruce could be so _exhausting._ He never asked for her help and concern. He never asked for anything. But he was like a magnet of dark energy, pulling her in to try to combat his never-ending gloominess just _because_ he wouldn't ask. And Diana was so, so tired.

Which made Lex's attentions even more of a pleasant change. It had been so long since she'd been _cared _for. Leaving Themyscira had broken her heart and while she was grateful for the new family that she was building with the Justice League… she was still often lonely and overwhelmed. And she spent so much of her energy fighting the world's battles.

Not that she didn't have an abundance of physical energy, but her emotional strength was feeling more and more limited lately. The closer she got to Bruce, the further from him she felt and every day was beginning to feel sad. Being held by Lex, and dancing in his arms, and knowing that he was paying attention to her emotions - it was all such a good feeling. Diana closed her eyes and let Lex spin them around the room as she enjoyed the moment.

"Bruce is looking mighty jealous right now," Lex whispered in her ear. Diana giggled. "If you dance with me enough tonight, he might finally ask you out on a date," Lex said.

Oddly, that thought was much less appealing to Diana than it had been at the beginning of the night. Was all she deserved in life a man who would only ask her out when he got jealous? When someone else stole his toy? Didn't she deserve to be asked out because someone wanted to be with her, without being forced or manipulated into it? Diana frowned.

"I'd dance with you all night with or without Bruce here," she said to Lex, and to her astonishment Lex looked genuinely startled by her statement.

"Would you?" he said to her slowly. Diana nodded. The smallest spark of light flared to life in Lex's normally dark and calculating eyes and he gave Diana a brief but tender smile.

"Well," he said, regaining his Lex Luthor composure. "I can make that happen." Diana actually burst into a full smile which Lex returned, although somewhat in a daze like a man who might be dreaming but knows that he doesn't want to wake up.

When the waltz ended and the spinning couples paused to clap for the orchestra, Bruce appeared at Diana's elbow. Lex's arm was still around her waist and she was leaning into him a little bit as they waited for the next dance to start.

"Diana," Bruce said to her in his gravelly tone. "Lex," he added with more of a scowl.

"Bruce," Lex said magnanimously. "How good to see you here," Lex smirked. "It's always such a _pleasure _to come to… _Gotham._" A giggle escaped from Diana's lips, surprising all three of them.

Bruce shot her a hurt look while Lex looked… curious. But not at all displeased. Diana didn't know what had come over her. The Justice League hated Lex, she knew that. He was evil. A megalomaniac.

But… he was kind of funny, too. The way he teased Bruce and got in his digs in such a dignified voice of dry sarcasm. Diana had never really noticed his wit before. Or, maybe she'd noticed but been disgusted by it rather than appreciative. Or amused.

Had Bruce ever made her laugh? Diana suddenly wondered. Rarely, if ever. It was a novel and altogether enjoyable feeling to have the man on her arm make her smile. As well as to _have_ a man on her arm in the first place.

"Would you like to dance, Diana?" Bruce asked her, though, even though he was quizzically raising an eyebrow at her as if to say, _What the hell?_

"Oh, no, thank you, Bruce," Diana said kindly. "I'm dancing with Lex tonight." The look on Bruce's face was pure priceless shock. It was a shame that Clark wasn't behind them snapping pictures because she knew that Wally would have loved to frame that shot.

Lex, of course, couldn't help but smirk at Bruce, but as the music started up again and he led Diana into the next dance, the look in his eyes just for her was awed gratitude. And pleasure. And tenderness. And Diana realized that she hadn't broken eye contact with him for a long minute and she didn't even care because there was so much to see in the way that he was looking at her and it all made her feel special. And good. And happy.

She laid her head down on Lex's shoulder as they continued to dance and this time Lex's touch was more like a caress, and Diana loved it. She would think about the pesky details like the fact that this was _Lex Luthor_ she was dancing with when the music ended. But for now, she let herself get lost in the feeling of being held in his arms as thoughts of Bruce faded out.

_A/N More chapters to come! This will be a longer fic. Make sure to click "Follow" if you want to receive updates when new chapters are posted. Thanks for reading! _


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

Diana and Lex danced together for the rest of the night, which did not go unnoticed by either Bruce, the rest of the attendees, or the photographers of the press. Especially since Lex and Diana's physical hold on each other had only grown more romantic as the night wore on.

Clark felt miserable about it, but he reluctantly snapped a few photos of the dancing couple, too, knowing that Perry and Cat would have his head if he didn't bring home a picture for The Daily Planet of the biggest celebrity gossip since - well, ever. It wasn't just a superhero story. It wasn't just a world's-most-powerful-billionaire-Lex-Luthor story. It was a romance between the two and it was going to be splashed across the front pages of every gossip rag in town tomorrow morning.

Clark felt slightly nauseous. He wondered how Bruce was taking it. Bruce was playing it bland and uninterested, although Clark knew him better than that by now and knew that Bruce had to be… something. Fuming? Anxious? Suspicious? _Jealous?_

It was no secret in the Justice League that Bruce and Diana were an unofficial item. Clark hoped desperately that after leaving tonight, he'd get a call and learn that this was all part of an undercover Justice League plan that he had yet to be filled in on.

Diana wasn't very good at subterfuge, though. She was far too innocently open to carry off deceptions well. And she looked, well, _happy._ And… like something romantic was actually blossoming on the dance floor with Lex Luthor before the world's very eyes.

Clark scanned the room to see if he could catch Bruce alone for a quick word, but Bruce was relentlessly chatting up socialites and investors. A task he usually loathed. Sighing, Clark snapped an extra pic on his phone and texted it to Lois with the shocked-face emoji. "I don't know what this means," he added underneath the photo.

Lois responded with about twelve shocked faces, ten question marks, and "Holy crap! He didn't brainwash her, did he?" Trust Lois to look at the darkest possible lining first, whereas Clark had merely been concerned for Diana's heart if she was truly falling for their arch enemy. And not just an arch enemy, but a bonafide villain. Clark sighed.

"Don't know," he texted back. "I'll try to check in with her before she leaves."

Back on the dance floor, Diana remained blissfully unflappable about the stares and photos. It wasn't like she spent much time among regular society, anyway, to be bothered with it since she lived at the Watchtower. She had gotten fairly used to attracting a lot of attention no matter what she did in the general public just from being Wonder Woman. And honestly, she was having far too good a time dancing with Lex to take him up yet on his offer to leave, which he had thoughtfully made when he noticed the first photos being snapped.

"I want to stay," she'd said to him, looking up at him with her big blue eyes looking happier than they'd looked all night. "I like dancing with you." Lex had smiled at that, because how could he not? But he wasn't expecting the warmth in his chest that her words had caused or the way that it made him caress her hip even more tenderly with his hand that was holding it.

"Then we'll stay," he'd promised her.

"You don't mind?" Diana had asked him, worried that the press and staring eyes might be bothering him. He'd smiled broadly at that.

"Diana," he'd said slightly chidingly, but in a teasing tone. "I'm Lex Luthor. I _live _for the adoration of the masses." She'd giggled and held him closer and kept dancing.

Now, the ball was finally starting to wind down, though, and Lex figured it would be better to head out before getting stuck in the crowd. "Will you join me for a drink?" he asked Diana. "I know a bar with private seating."

"I'd like that," Diana said with a smile. "My wrap's in the coat check."

"My overcoat, too," Lex told her, since it was mid-autumn and the nights were chilly. He wrapped her hand inside his arm as they walked off the floor, the photographers running after them as they realized that the power couple of the hour was leaving.

"Gentlemen, ladies, please," Lex said, taking preemptive control of the situation. Like he always did, Diana thought, but starting to appreciate the strategy behind it. "There's no need to follow us all the way to the coat check," Lex said with a little laugh. "Take some shots right here and then we'll pose for you again on our way out."

Diana obligingly smilingly posed with her arm around Lex's for several seconds, before Lex lifted a hand and waved the photographers off. "We'll be downstairs in five minutes," he promised them. "Do tell the valet to have my driver bring the car around, would you?" he asked one of the younger photographers with a little chuckle, who immediately beamed at the honor of being chosen by Lex to relay the message.

With that, the horde of journalists departed for the lobby without a fuss, leaving Lex and Diana free to collect their belongings in peace. "You're very kind to them," Diana remarked in surprise.

"It never pays to make an enemy of the press," Lex said with a little smile. "Besides," he said, "if I give them the shots, they give me some peace. Win-win for everyone." A gentle smile lit up Diana's face.

_I never would have thought that Lex could be so… reasonable,_ she thought to herself. _Or generous,_ she mentally added, thinking of Bruce's loathing for the press whom he barely tolerated when he was playing the billionaire role. _Lex is surprising me so much tonight,_ she realized.

As they rounded the corner for the coat check, Diana almost bumped right into Clark, who was fumbling with his overcoat in one hand and hat and camera in the other. "Oh! Clark," she said, knowing that Lex knew full well who Superman really was, just like he knew Batman's secret identity, too. And probably the Flash's, if he'd cared enough to bother to learn it. Diana got the impression that the Flash ranked much lower on Lex's list of worthy adversaries, though.

"Here, let me help you," she said, reaching to take his hat and camera so he could get his coat on.

"Uh, thanks, Diana," Clark said with his embarrassed Clark Kent-smile. Lex himself helped Clark into his coat, winking at Diana as he did so in a most un-Lex Luthor type fashion. But he couldn't help himself, what an opportunity to have a little fun with the Man of Steel.

"Have you met Lex before?" Diana said, for the benefit of the coat check attendants.

"Um, maybe, not officially, but I've covered you before, certainly," Clark said to Lex, keeping up his persona even though Diana knew that it was probably killing him right about then. "Thank you, for the help," Clark added. "I seem like I'm always flying apart at loose ends."

"Flying being the operative word," Lex said gravely, but with a twinkle in his eye. Diana had to bite her tongue to keep from giggling, but she could tell that Lex knew that he'd amused her again. Clark caught her eye.

"You've had a good evening, it looks like?" he asked her tentatively.

"Yes," she said. "Very good." She smiled. "Lex is… maybe nicer than he's led us, er, ah, the public's perception of him, to believe." She stumbled just a little bit over finding the right words to maintain their cover and Clark knew in that moment that this was no undercover case. Diana could barely keep their secrets when she tried.

"Well, you know," Lex said splendidly, "being a businessman requires a certain tough exterior. Perhaps I was just waiting for the right woman to crack my shell," and Clark blinked, because the look that Lex was giving Diana wasn't smarmy or pretentious or lustfully flirty. It was… sweet. And _serious_. And despite his Lexy tone, Clark's midwestern values barometer detected honest-to-goodness sincerity in Lex's words to Diana.

Diana was smiling back at Lex with a look in her eyes that told Clark that Bruce was in trouble. Big trouble. Because the woman standing before him was falling head over heels in love with Lex Luthor. And… it appeared that her affections were not one-sided.

"You'd better head downstairs so you don't miss your photo op," Lex said kindly to Clark. "We'll be just a minute at the coat check."

"Right! Well… I guess I'll see you around, Diana… ?" Clark made it a bit of a question.

"Lex and I are going to get drinks. But I expect that after that I'll… see you around some other time." It was understood by all that Diana was speaking to Superman and not to Clark. "Tell Lois I'll call her later," Diana added with a giggle. "Tomorrow, ok?"

"Ok," Clark said, some relief painting his face that Diana seemed in control of her senses and was already planning to talk to Lois about whatever the _heck_ was going on here. "I'll see you downstairs, then," he said. "Good night," he added as he walked off.

"Nice fellow," Lex drawled as they walked up to the coat check. "Friend of yours?" Diana wanted to giggle some more but she managed to answer Lex with a straight face.

"I'm friends with his girlfriend, Lois Lane. She did a feature on me awhile back and we kept in touch. So now I'm friends with Clark, too, by extension. We all go out together sometimes."

"Ah," Lex said, eyes still twinkling as he helped Diana into her wrap before taking his overcoat from the attendant. Diana burst into giggles and elbowed his side - but gently, remembering her strength - as soon as their backs were turned and they were a relatively safe distance away.

"You keep making me laugh," she complained to Lex.

"I like seeing you with a smile on your face," Lex said, but the way he said it and the look he gave her made Diana blush. She looked down to the floor but she reached out and held his hand as they walked towards the elevator. Lex interlocked their fingers and rubbed a thumb over the back of her hand as he took it, causing Diana to look up at him shyly before looking down and blushing some more.

"You're going to have to tell me later what someone so sweet sees in someone like me," Lex said to her, sounding seriously mystified as the elevator arrived. Thankfully, they were the only two waiting as people were straggling out of the ball in sparse groups or pairs.

"Ask me at the bar," Diana said softly, looking up at him. Their eyes locked and if it had been a longer trip to the lobby, they might have kissed - but the doors were opening too soon.

"Ready?" Lex asked her before they walked through the hotel doors to the small mass of waiting photographers.

"Ready," Diana said back with a smile, squeezing his fingers a little bit with hers. The bellhop opened the door for them and then Lex and Diana stepped out into the cold night air, holding hands and smiling for the cameras as they paused just outside the doors to let everyone get a good shot. Diana caught Clark's eye and grinned a little extra for him.

Then, Lex's driver, who was indeed waiting at the curb, having been summoned by Lex's messenger of the press, was opening the backseat of the limo for them and Lex was helping Diana in and making sure her skirt got tucked properly around her feet before he joined her on the other side of the car.

"The Feather and Quill Society," Lex told the driver before raising the partition separating the front and back seats. Diana smiled at him and Lex slid over closer to her, picking her hand up again in his.

"I am not a man who is easily surprised, Diana," Lex said to her. "But I can scarcely believe that you're here in the car with me." Indeed, his voice was filled with wonder and even that made Diana's happiness bubble up out of her, that someone would be _awed_ at the concept of taking her on a date. Instead of dismissive of the very idea.

But Diana wasn't in the mood for sad thoughts right now, with so much happiness filling her up and the cause of that happiness sitting right next to her. She gently laid her head down on Lex's shoulder and the fact that her gesture caused a quiet intake of breath in him gave her butterflies so she held his hand tighter.

"You're going to be the ruin of me, Diana," Lex said quietly.

"In a good way or a bad way?" she asked him softly.

"I don't know yet," Lex said thoughtfully, lifting her hand up to kiss it. "I guess we'll find out," he added. Diana didn't respond, but she snuggled her head tighter into his shoulder as they drove through the night.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

The Feather and Quill Society turned out to be a private club in Gotham for the wealthy which meant that the press were cut off from documenting the rest of their evening. Lex and Diana were seated in a booth in a corner of the dim bar. Diana realized as she looked around the room that all of the seating was effectively private, well spaced out to reduce overheard conversations.

The wealthy must have a lot of secrets that needed keeping, Diana thought to herself, but she greatly appreciated the seclusion. She hadn't minded the attention so much while they were dancing, but for talking, the privacy was preferable. A small jazz trio was playing in the center of the room which muffled the quiet murmurs of conversation further so that only one's companions could overhear what was spoken.

"This is nice," Diana said to Lex, who was sitting next to her in the curved leather booth.

"I'm glad you like it," Lex said back to her, looking at her like he still couldn't quite believe that he was sitting here with her. Diana hadn't known what to order to drink, so Lex had ordered her an Irish cream hot chocolate, which she was delightedly spooning the whipped cream off of first.

She caught his eyes on her, soft and thoughtful. "What?" she asked him, licking her spoon.

"You're so adorable," Lex said as a compliment, which made Diana flush again. "_And _sweet," Lex continued, "_and _pure of spirit. Yet here you are sitting in a booth with _me. _Why is that?" he asked her seriously.

Diana dipped her head for a moment and sighed. Then she bravely raised it up to meet Lex's eyes. "You made me realize tonight how it feels to have a man care about my happiness instead of _his _unhappiness." She wiped a little tear out of the corner of her eye as she went on.

"Bruce didn't ask me to dance tonight because he was tired of making me sad. He was either jealous, or he hates you, or he thought I was a fool for dancing with you. But he didn't ask to make me happy. You did," she said to Lex. "And that was a really nice feeling," she finished in a whisper, getting choked up, not even over Bruce as much as at the realization of how sad she'd been for how long.

"Oh, Diana," Lex said to her, lifting his arm and wrapping it around her shoulders. "You deserve someone so much better than me. There is a world of men out there who are not Bruce and not me who would want to make you happy."

"Them wanting to doesn't mean they'd be successful at it. I like _you_ and you make me happy_,_" Diana said with decision, looking up at Lex with so much love in her eyes which she saw reflected back at her in equal measure from his. Lex reached his hand up to trace her jaw.

"You're making me happy, too," he said to her. "Far happier than I deserve to be," he added, but he bent down and kissed her anyway, tender and soft and gentle. Diana glanced up at him with a smile when he pulled away and leaned forward into another kiss.

Sometime later, when Diana's head was tucked into his shoulder and Lex was idly tracing circles on her arm, Diana said "Why did you care tonight that I was sad? What you said about my soul… why does it bother you if I get hurt?"

"Mm," Lex thought. "I suppose that I'm full of so much darkness that your light shines that much brighter for me. When it's dimmed by a cloud I feel as though I've lost something precious. And, as you know, I do _not _like losing anything," Lex finished a tad more playfully, but Diana heard the weight of what he was saying to her behind the teasing.

"Why do you have to be a villain?" Diana sighed. "You're an incredible man, Lex Luthor," she said, pressing a kiss to his neck. "With a beautiful soul, too, buried underneath all that darkness."

"Maybe you could excavate it," Lex said to her with his heart instead of his brain.

"Really?" Diana said, craning her head to look up at him. Lex saw the hope in her eyes and felt a matching hope flare up in his heart in the most absurd manner which caused his brain to snap back into gear.

What was he sitting here saying? That the evil genius Lex Luthor would let Diana of Themyscira _change_ him? Into what, a hero? Or, perhaps not quite so appalling a thought but equally uncomfortable, into a good man? Or… maybe just into a _decent_ man? But even so, could he live with himself being a decent man, Lex wondered to himself. Would there be any thrill to life left, any challenge, any victories to claim or enemies to defeat or countries to conquer?

But looking into Diana's eyes, Lex realized that there would be one thing gained that he couldn't currently lay claim to - there would be Diana. And maybe she was worth more than his maniacal plans and schemes and works of great genius.

Or… maybe he could find ways to use his genius _with _her instead of against her. And instead of against her friends, all right, that was a much more annoying thought because Lex really did despise the Justice League, but they were her only real friends… For Diana's sake, maybe he could put up with them.

And it could be fun to scheme against Grodd, and Brainiac… in fact, many of the Rogues were far smarter than the dunces on the Justice League, now that he thought about it, and wouldn't he love rubbing his genius in their faces and crushing their futile plans to naught? He would show _them_ who ruled the world.

Lex almost began laughing out loud but he realized with a start that he hadn't answered Diana who was still looking up at him, although with a slightly worried wrinkle in her brow, now, instead of her previous hopefulness.

"Yes," Lex said down to Diana, meeting her eyes so she would see that he was telling the truth. "If I knew that you were sure about staying with me, I would change for you. But I don't deserve you, Diana," Lex repeated to her. "We both know that."

Diana's smile was like the sunshine bursting forth from a sky of gray foggy clouds and her eyes lit up so much that they almost seemed to glow. "I don't care if you don't deserve me," she said happily to Lex. "You _want _me. And you want to make me happy. And you're willing to change to do it."

Diana laid her palm on Lex's face. "That's enough for me," she told him seriously. Lex's eyes flared with joy and he bent down and kissed her much more passionately this time and Diana wrapped her arms around his neck to kiss him back, feeling giddy with happiness in a way that she hadn't felt since living with her sisters, the Amazons, when they'd ride horses along the beach as fast as they could in the first light of dawn, watching the sunrise over their beloved island.

Except this giddiness was divinely _more_, because it came with butterflies in her stomach and goosebumps on her skin and _Lex_, someone who had made her smile and laugh tonight more than she had in months, someone whose tender gaze melted her insides everytime he looked at her, and someone whose kisses were kindling a blazing fire throughout her body.

Diana hummed happily when she finally tucked her head back into Lex's shoulder, wrapping her arm around his chest and hugging him tight. "I'm sure," she told him with satisfaction. "You're who I want to be with." Lex chuckled.

"Not that I doubt your heart, Diana, but I would feel much more secure if… say… we dated until New Year's, and you gave me your answer then. That way, I can spend next year revamping LexCorp and my life until nothing is left in it makes you sad. Or makes your friends want to kill me," Lex added.

"We don't have a lot of killers on the team, I don't think," Diana said thoughtfully. "But it would be nice for them to not want to throw you in prison, anyway," she said with a giggle.

"Agreed," Lex said to her. "What do you think? Good plan?"

"Good plan?" Diana scoffed. "It's a _great_ plan. Designed by Lex Luthor the genius," she said, reaching up to kiss his cheek.

"Well, I have been known to come up with one or two successful schemes in my day," Lex said modestly, kissing her head.

"And we'll get married after your life is all fixed up?" Diana asked him hopefully. Lex's eyes practically melted into hers with fire and emotion.

"Of course we will," he said, surprised that his voice was actually a little choked up and his heart was squeezing him inside his chest. _What the __**hell**__ was happening tonight?_ Lex thought to himself. He was going to be really pissed if this turned out to be some alternate dimension that he'd gotten thrown into unbeknownst to him.

But Bruce was still an ass, he reasoned to himself, and Clark was still dopey Clark, and Diana was still her beautiful, amazing self… so, believe it or not, Lex Luthor must actually be falling in love, he realized. And reforming. Sort of. In as painless a way as possible that would still allow him to have a little fun crushing opponents with his superior intellect and skill. In a way that his girl approved of, of course.

"When can I take you on our first date?" Lex asked Diana. "Tomorrow?"

"I'm on duty tomorrow night," Diana said. "But Sunday should be ok, unless there's an emergency."

"Sunday it is," Lex said, running his fingers up and down her arm. "What do you want to do? Should I surprise you or is there something you already know you'd like?"

Diana's eyes lit up like a little kid's and she bit her lip in excitement. "Could we… go on a roller-coaster?" she asked him.

"A roller coaster?" Lex said, laughing a little bit because of _course_ Diana who ate the whipped cream first off of her hot chocolate wanted to go on a roller coaster for their first date.

"I've never been on one," Diana said. "Clark told me about them and I've been wanting to try them ever since, but…"

"I'll take you to an amusement park," Lex said. "And we will go on all the rides you want to. Not just the roller coasters," he said with a smile. "And play all the games, and eat cotton candy, and funnel cake, and hot dogs…" Diana's eyes were getting big and Lex had to pull her in tighter and kiss her head, because so was so damn cute.

"I've had a hot dog," Diana said seriously. "John and Wally introduced me to those. But I haven't had the others. There's so much that I haven't done yet," she added wistfully, making Lex feel absolutely stupefied and yes - _angry_ \- that fucking Bruce couldn't even take her to do some fun things even if he _didn't_ want to date her. Or the rest of the Justice League could have, too, for that matter.

"Well," Lex said, though, not mentioning his inner thoughts to Diana, "that gives us a lot of things to do together for our dates. And a lot of fun things for me to introduce you to," he said with a smile, which Diana returned.

"Like sex?" she asked him, causing Lex to cough violently in surprise.

"Um, yes," he said, wondering why the idea of sex with Diana panicked him with all of his experience. Because she was innocent? And it would clearly be her first time? Or was it because he was falling in love with her? And was afraid of losing her? Holy hell.

"Let's… table that for now," he said, hardly believing his ears, but Lex knew better than to approach anything that he wasn't fully confident about before he felt completely prepared to handle any and all issues surrounding it. But seriously, what the fuck, Lex Luthor? he thought to himself. "Why don't we pick that discussion up again after New Year's?" he said slowly.

"Ok," Diana said easily, clearly far more unbothered by the subject than he was at the moment. Oh, well, he'd sort it out, Lex thought to himself. He was going into a lot of uncharted territory with Diana… but surprisingly, he didn't mind. Even if some of it _was _messing with his head.

After all, Lex dating Diana would undoubtedly be messing with Bruce's head more than with his own, he reasoned, and Lex thought with some glee that he could always take comfort in that fact when his own headspace got a bit out of order. _There's no trouble so great that it can't be made better by comparing it to Bruce's,_ Lex thought sagely to himself.

But he was only distracted by that thought for a minute. Because Diana wanted to kiss him some more, and that, Lex was definitely ok with.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

"Clark!" J'onn said in surprise as Superman walked into the Watchtower monitoring room. "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight. I thought you were working at your… _other_ job."

"I was," Clark said. "I am. I thought I'd write my article here while I wait for Bruce to get back."

"Bruce?" J'onn said, raising an eyebrow. "He was not scheduled to be on duty tonight, either. Were you not both at the same function?"

"Yes," Clark sighed. "The function where Diana and Lex Luthor just became a couple." J'onn stared at Clark, both eyebrows raised now. Clark plugged his camera into the computer with another sigh and silently pulled up his photos of Lex and Diana cozily entwined on the dance floor.

"It was more than one dance, I take it?" J'onn said slowly.

"It was half the night," Clark said. "And they left together." He swiped ahead to the photos of Lex and Diana posing with smiles as they left the dance floor and then standing together outside the hotel.

"You spoke with her?" J'onn asked Clark, who nodded.

"She likes him," he said, sounding mystified.

"That is… a most unexpected development," J'onn said cautiously.

"That's putting it mildly," Batman grumbled, who had silently stalked in behind them.

"Bruce!" Clark said, turning to face him. Unfortunately, with Batman's cowl on, Clark couldn't read the nuances of Bruce's mood, but it was easy to tell from his voice and his scowl that he was, at the very least, displeased.

"Diana's not back yet?" Bruce frowned. "I assumed that Lex was giving her a ride back to the shuttle."

"I'm sure he'll be giving her a ride back later," Clark said reluctantly, "but she told me that they were going for drinks first." Bats stared at him.

"And you _let_ her?" he snarled.

"She's a grown woman, Bruce," J'onn said mildly.

"In her right mind," Clark added, thinking of Lois's earlier suspicions of brainwashing.

"Clearly not in her right mind," Bruce snapped, "if she left with _Lex Luthor. _Where were they going?"

"She didn't say," Clark said calmly, turning back to the computer and casually taking the offensive photos down before opening a word processing document to begin writing his news article.

"Clark!" Bruce snapped again, slapping his hand onto Superman's shoulder and turning his chair back around to face him. "Diana has just been kidnapped by Lex Luthor and you're going to sit there and write a fluff piece? Why the hell did you let her go? We need to pinpoint her location and go rescue her."

"Bruuuuce," J'onn said soothingly.

"What I was thinking," Clark said patiently, "is that I have known Lex Luthor for a long time. And he was not up to anything except taking Diana out on a date. He likes her. And she, apparently, likes him, too."

The sound that Bruce made was one of anger and disgust mixed with scathing contempt, causing J'onn to reflect once again on the fact that Batman was the only human that he had met who could produce so many negative emotions with one grunt.

"Come and sit down, Bruce," J'onn said gently as he stood, placing a hand on Bruce's back to attempt to guide him to a chair. Bruce rudely shrugged him off.

"I don't want to sit," he sulked.

"What is troubling you more?" J'onn asked him. "That Diana is out on a date, or that she is out on a date with Lex Luthor?" Bruce glowered.

"That it's with Lex, obviously," he grumbled.

"Are you sure?" Clark dared to ask him.

"You're not also concerned?" Bruce asked them pointedly. "About our security being compromised? About Diana being manipulated and controlled by one of the most dangerous men on the planet?"

"Diana does not strike me as a woman who is easily manipulated," J'onn responded. "And I am sure that she will use appropriate caution around Lex concerning Justice League security."

"So it's totally fine with you that a member of the Justice League is dating Lex Luthor?" Bruce spat back contemptuously.

"Tonight is just one date, Bruce," Clark said. "We don't know if she'll continue to see him." Although, in his heart, Clark _did _suspect that he knew. He recognized love when he saw it - and Diana and Lex were both falling hard.

"I am sure that Diana will be amenable to discussions surrounding security concerns if she decides to pursue an ongoing relationship with Lex Luthor," J'onn said. "Also, I do not believe that Diana will continue to see him if he remains the same man that we have known him to be. She despises cruelty and injustice."

That comment finally seemed to comfort Bruce. His shoulders relaxed a bit as he took a deep breath. "You're right," he said in his gravelly voice. "You're right," he repeated again, as if to reassure himself. "Diana's too good to be with someone so evil."

Batman slowly walked to a chair and sat. Clark looked at him sympathetically. "I know how we all feel about Lex," he said. "With good reason. And yes, the fact that it's Lex _is _concerning. But… you also like Diana," Clark pointed out.

"Everyone likes Diana," Bruce muttered.

"Come on, Bruce," Clark said. "Is some of this jealousy?"

"Why would I be jealous?" Bruce said. "I don't want to date her."

"Are you _sure?_" J'onn asked him. Bruce sighed. But he didn't answer. He did take out a batarang, though, and start to fidget with it. And Batman was not in the habit of fidgeting.

Long after midnight, Lex's limo pulled up to the Watchtower shuttle site and Lex stepped out of the car first, coming around to the other door to help Diana out. They stood together outside of the covered docking bay to say their goodbyes, Lex knowing without asking that Diana could not invite him in past the secure entrance. _Yet,_ he thought to himself with a little smile.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he said, gliding his hands lightly over her hips as he held her.

"I'd like that," Diana said with a smile as she looped her arms around his neck. Lex bent his head down to kiss her but instead of releasing her afterwards he continued to hold her softly, and Diana pressed her cheek into his as she leaned into him.

They stood there cuddling, seemingly content to remain like that indefinitely. Lex lightly rubbed circles on Diana's back with one hand while she traced her fingers over the ridges of his bald head, neither speaking and neither in a hurry to say goodnight.

Finally, Lex groaned. "It's late. I should let you go."

"Mm-hm," Diana said, making no effort to move. Lex chuckled.

"I'll see you Sunday," he promised her, turning his head to look into her eyes.

"Yes," Diana said, and she looked so _happy _that Lex's breath caught in his throat. He pulled her into another round of kisses before finally, reluctantly, releasing her.

"Sleep well, Diana," he said to her gently.

"You too, Lex," Diana answered him, squeezing his fingertips in an attempt to draw out their good-bye a little longer. Lex's eyes twinkled as he gently pushed her towards the hangar entrance. Diana sighed and took out her ID badge to scan the door open.

"Text me when you get there," Lex said to her before she swiped it. "So I know you're safe." Diana's smile lit up her face and she pressed one more quick kiss to his lips.

"I will," she said. "Thank you for caring," she added more softly. Lex's eyes melted and he traced her cheek with his hand, not needing to say out loud what his gaze was clearly communicating. Diana gave him one last longing look before opening the door.

"Good night," Lex called after her quietly as she went inside.

"Good night, Lex," she said, looking back at him over her shoulder.

She was still smiling to herself as the door slid shut.

There was dead silence in the monitoring room. Clark didn't even want to breathe to draw Bruce's attention to him after what they had just witnessed on the shuttle hangar security cameras. Out of the corner of his eye, Clark thought that J'onn looked like he was seriously considering fading into invisibility.

Bruce's jaw was ground so tightly shut that if he had had Clark's strength, he would have shattered some molars by now.

"Just one date," Bruce growled after a minute. "Just _one_ date," he repeated, swiveling in his chair to pin Clark with his glare. "Does that look like _just one date_ to you, Clark?" he snarled, as if the romantic scene they'd just witnessed was somehow Superman's fault.

Clark's eyes were pleading with J'onn to rescue him, but the Martian Manhunter merely shrugged helplessly behind Bruce's back. Because, really, what was there to say that would make it better? Clark sighed.

"Don't do anything rash, Bruce," he cautioned.

"Wise advice," J'onn hurriedly agreed, although his tone remained ever placid. "Sleep on it, first, Batman."

Bruce stood angrily, glaring at first Clark, and then J'onn, before stomping out of the monitoring room.

"Thiiiis is going to be a problem," Clark groaned. J'onn shook his head.

"Why has he never asked Diana out on a date when he clearly cares for her?" he asked Clark.

"I don't know," Clark sighed. "Bruce is… Bruce. He always has some excuse."

"Mmm," J'onn murmured. "It appears that Lex Luthor possesses no such self-defeatism."

"Trust Lex to go after what he wants," Clark agreed. "But this was bound to happen sooner or later. If not with Lex, with someone else. You can't keep a girl like Diana hanging on forever and Bruce has had more than enough time to make a move. I can't blame her for getting fed up."

"Nor can I, sadly," J'onn agreed. "She has been… very despondent, of late."

"Has she?" Clark said guiltily. "I hadn't noticed."

"She and I live here on the Watchtower full-time, whereas you… and Bruce… live on Earth," J'onn pointed out. "I have had many opportunities to observe her moods, and… she has been quite sad."

"Over Bruce?" Clark verified. J'onn nodded silently.

"I believe so," he said, not needing to reassure Clark that he hadn't been telepathically snooping around in her mind. Clark sighed.

"I trust her," he said after a minute.

"As do I," J'onn said. Clark frowned.

"I can't believe that she would be moving forward with Lex without already having had a conversation with him about his… less admirable qualities. But…"

"Yes," said J'onn. "This… will be a headache." Clark could only nod.


	5. Chapter 5

_**Chapter 5**_

Diana sighed happily to herself as she settled down into the shuttle seat, drawing her legs up and closing her eyes as she leaned her head back against the chair. _This was __**not **__how I saw tonight going,_ she thought to herself as the pilot lifted off to transport her to the Watchtower. _Lex Luthor,_ she thought to herself in amazement, and just thinking of his name gave her a warmth in her belly and broadened her smile.

Bruce was frowning in the shuttle bay as Diana's ride pulled in. He stalked up to her as she disembarked, but she was pulling her phone out of her purse and didn't see him.

"_Diana!_" Bruce snapped at her.

"Oh - hi, Bruce," Diana said distractedly, giving him half a glance before starting a text message on her phone. _Just got in. All safe_, she was texting to Lex.

_Good, _Lex texted immediately back. _Have sweet dreams tonight, Diana, _he added. Bruce's glare took on epic proportions as he watched the delighted smile bubble up on Diana's face as she completely ignored him and started typing another message.

_I will, because I'll be dreaming of you,_ she typed, adding a heart emoji after it. She giggled to herself as she sent it, walking absentmindedly down the hall towards her room, not noticing Bruce trailing two steps behind her. She hugged herself as Lex's text popped up a second later.

_And I of you. _With a heart.

Bruce didn't know in that moment if it was the transcendent happiness on her face, or being brushed aside for the second time tonight, or the overflow of anger and jealousy from watching her say goodnight to Lex on the security monitors, or - well - he wasn't exactly stupid enough to think that it was all about her dating a supervillain, even if he wasn't going to admit that to Clark and J'onn - but Bruce had had enough.

"Diana!" he barked at her, grabbing her elbow.

"Bruce!" she exclaimed, jumping. "You startled me! What's wrong?" she asked him, puzzled, staring at his blistering eyes.

"What the _hell _are you doing dating Lex Luthor?" he snarled at her. Diana blinked at him. Then frowned. Hard.

"Why are you yelling at me?" she asked, putting a hand on her hip and staring him down.

"Because you're dating Lex _fucking _Luthor!" Bruce yelled in exasperation. Diana raised an eyebrow.

"I'm not having this conversation with you tonight," she said in a tone of warning and started walking down the hall again.

"Then when are we going to have it?" Bruce shouted, following her. "When Lex has taken over the Watchtower and is blowing the Justice League members out of the airlock?" Diana slowly turned around, lethal danger oozing out of her body language as she advanced on him. _Oh, fuck, _Bruce thought to himself. _May have overshot that one. _

"Do you have something to say to me, Bruce?" she said icily. "Because I think you know that I'm not that stupid." Bruce's chest tightened up as he stood trapped by Diana's stony gaze.

Yet, as he met her eyes, his tongue felt paralyzed. What could he say, really? _I might love you, but… I liked things the way they were? _It was true. But he knew damn well that it wasn't what she wanted to hear. _I'm still not ready to date you but I don't want you dating anyone else, either?_ _I feel too fucked up to be with you so it's really insulting that you'd go for someone so much worse than me? _

Diana's foot had started to tap and she was crossing her arms over her chest impatiently. "It's… Lex Luthor," Bruce ended up saying weakly.

"Yes," Diana snapped.

"There are… security concerns," Bruce added in a subdued tone of voice.

"Which I will discuss with Clark and J'onn. As you're clearly not fit to have the conversation," Diana said in a splintering voice. Silence fell between them. Diana seemed to be waiting for something else. But Bruce felt like… a coward. And he didn't even know if it was because he couldn't say it or because he didn't truly want to feel it.

"Fine," he ended up muttering. "Talk to J'onn and Clark. And don't be an idiot," he added, turning to walk away from her.

"Pretty sure I'm not the idiot," Diana's voice floated back to him. And Bruce inwardly cringed, because he knew it was true.

Diana kept it together on the way back to her quarters, but the tears started to fall as soon as the door shut behind her. "_Hera_," she cursed to herself, sniffing. "Why do you still get to hurt me so much, Bruce?" she muttered. She wiped the tears with the back of her hand as she took her evening gown off and hung it in the closet.

She was still crying a little bit as she washed her face and brushed her teeth before pulling her nightgown on. Wiping her eyes with a tissue as she climbed into bed, she pulled her phone back into her lap. _Are you still up? _she texted Lex. _Bruce was waiting to yell at me. _

_Oh, Diana, _Lex texted back a few seconds later. _I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. _Diana sniffed a little bit more, but a tiny smile started to break through her tears from Lex's response. _I said it before, I'll say it again, _Lex wrote. _Bruce is a moron. _Diana actually giggled before taking a deep breath and letting out a long sigh.

_Thank you,_ she wrote with a heart.

_Is there anything I can do? _Lex wrote back.

_You're doing it, _Diana wrote, feeling her insides start to relax from the ugly tension that Bruce had triggered and starting to feel her happy feelings from her evening with Lex returning. _I had such a good time with you tonight,_ she added, turning off her light as she lay down in bed, keeping her phone by her head to see what Lex said back.

_Tonight was the most amazing night of my life,_ the message pinged onto her screen. A huge smile burst onto Diana's face and she buried her head in her pillow to laugh in happiness.

_Mine, too, _Diana wrote back, and she meant it.

In the morning, Diana started thinking of Lex before she even opened her eyes. The happy flutters in her stomach tickled as she stretched herself out in bed before rolling over and picking up her phone. It had been a late night - especially since she and Lex had ended up texting each other for quite some time after she'd crawled into bed - but Diana was pleased to see that it was only eleven in the morning. She was on duty tonight so she was definitely entitled to sleep in and, she thought to herself, she might even try to get a nap in late this afternoon before her shift started.

Wondering if Lex was awake yet and if he had texted her, Diana found she was holding her breath as she unlocked her phone. And, of course, he had. _Good morning, Diana. Thinking of you._ Amazon warriors did not go "squeeeee," but Diana came pretty close to it. In the privacy of her heart, anyway.

_Morning, Lex. Thinking of you, too. Just woke up. _

Diana normally jumped out of bed in the mornings and was showered and at breakfast in no time. Her life was fairly disciplined. She worked out hard each day and always spent time training some of the other League members in battle techniques. Amazonian swordplay was a pretty popular lesson and it never hurt for her teammates to become versatile on a multitude of weapons.

Diana also spent at least a few hours every day in the monitor room with J'onn. The two of them had become close friends since forming the Justice League. They both felt the isolation of being the only ones of their kind in the League and, even worse, their mutual inability to return home - although in Diana's case, her mother had recently rescinded her exile from Themyscira after her recent return to rescue Hades, of all people, in order to restore the balance between realms.

Even so, Diana felt uncomfortable visiting. Her sister warriors and her mother gravely disapproved of her involvement in the world's affairs and Diana herself had changed so much since her time away from Themyscira that she no longer felt at home there. And that was an empty feeling.

One which J'onn understood. His quiet thoughtfulness was one of the reasons that J'onn was one of her best friends, as well as his often unspoken sadness that Diana related to so very well. Her heart bled for J'onn frequently, as the last survivor of Mars and even more alone in the universe than Superman.

Krypton had, of course, been destroyed, but there were a few Kryptonians left floating around in the galaxy - their enemy Zod, for one, and Clark's cousin Supergirl who was a member of the Justice League with them. Also, because Clark had been raised by humans in a loving family, he fit easily into Earth society in a way that Diana and J'onn both envied at times, even though they loved him.

Shayera, the Thanagarian warrior, certainly knew the pain of being both an exile and an alien and she had been a good friend once - but due to her past betrayal of the League in service to her homeworld, which, to her credit, she had ended up regretting and rebelling against, Diana feared that their friendship would never be the same. They had patched things up a bit on their recent mission together to Themyscira, but Diana wondered if she would ever fully trust Shayera with her innermost feelings again.

Her phone buzzed and caught her attention once more and Diana looked down to see Lex's text. _We're all over the news,_ he said, with links. Diana clicked on each one, smiling more and more as she saw the different pictures of her and Lex cozily dancing together and their beaming faces - well, her beaming face but Lex's quietly pleased and proud one - as they left the gala.

Diana got a lump in her throat as she clicked on one particular photo of the two of them on the dance floor. The photographer had caught them gazing at each other in an intimate shared smile and the light in both of their eyes was sparkling through the photograph.

_Do you think we could get prints of this one?_ she asked Lex, sending it back to him.

_Of course,_ Lex wrote back at once. _I'll take care of it. _

_Thank you,_ Diana wrote with a heart, sighing happily as she finally forced herself out of bed and into the shower.

Aside from training and monitoring, the rest of Diana's time each day was generally spent engaged in heroics on Earth. Whether it was your run-of-the-mill disasters around the world or the occasional super-threat, she wanted to be of service. It was why she had left Themyscira in the first place and she valued her work and the contributions she could make to society. Her heart cried out for justice and for peace and Diana knew that she would never rest until she had spent every ounce of her strength in changing the world for the better.

That was partly why she had related to Bruce so well. He, too, hungered for justice and he served Gotham with a passion that rivaled her own. And Bruce was no stranger to sadness, having witnessed his parents' murder as a child. But Diana had slowly come to see that while she and J'onn were determined to make the best of their lives despite their inner grief, Bruce… Bruce somehow stayed stuck. Bruce viewed the whole world through a dismal lens that Diana just couldn't relate to.

Yes, she cried for the ravages of war and the hurts that humankind caused each other. She despaired for the future of the planet. But Diana also believed in _hope_. And in love. And in beauty and goodness and life. And Batman believed in darkness and shadows.

She had loved him, though. Diana, prisoner of hope, had fervently believed that love could change Bruce. That her love, in particular, could bring light to his life - and that he, in turn, could bring light to hers. He cared for her, she knew this. _He _knew this and had admitted it. But, Diana thought with a frown as she washed her hair, the only thing that Bruce had brought to her lately was pain.

But, _Lex - _well, her smiles and bubbly mood said it all.

She had a bounce in her step as she walked into the commissary a little later to grab a very late breakfast. A bounce which faltered just for a second when the entire room fell silent as she entered. _Guess they've read the news… _Diana thought to herself. Oh, well.

Straightening her back tall and holding her head up as regally as the princess she was, Diana walked calmly into the cafeteria and picked up a tray. Behind her back, the whispers slowly started, gradually growing to soft murmurs. Diana ignored it as she loaded her tray up with fruit, oatmeal, eggs, and coffee.

Having done that, she scanned the tables to see who would be her best bet to sit with on this auspiciously awkward morning. John? Definitely not. The Green Lantern had not been her biggest fan when she first joined the League. And although he was a friend now, Diana didn't trust that his friendship extended as far as supporting her in a relationship with Lex Luthor. He and Vixen were engaged in an intense quiet conversation, anyway, and subtly shooting glances her way.

Wally was shoveling food into his mouth at rapid speed while chatting up Supergirl. They would be a friendly bet, at least, although they'd both want all the gossip and would pepper her with questions. And while Diana accepted that she'd have to be constantly defending herself for a long while with all of her teammates, this thing with Lex was too new and felt too special to want to pick apart every intimate detail of it with a couple of giddy teenagers. She didn't owe that to anybody.

The rest of the tables were filled with League members who Diana wasn't as close with and who she couldn't tolerate conversing with on this particular morning. So, with a sigh, Diana slowly walked over to Shayera, who was sitting alone. "May I join you?" Diana asked her. Shayera raised an eyebrow.

But she answered graciously, "Of course." Well, that was something. "So…" Shayera said to her as Diana stabbed a piece of melon with her fork, "you and Bruce are over." Diana's startled eyes jumped to Shayera's inquisitive gaze. That was _not_ the direction that she had expected this conversation to take.

"Bruce and I were never dating," Diana said quietly, but there was a little bitterness in her voice. Shayera's eyes grew sympathetic.

"Bruce is his own worst enemy," she observed. Diana dropped her gaze down to her food and didn't answer. "And maybe he's yours, too, sometimes?" Shayera added gently. Diana looked up and slowly nodded with a trembling smile of gratitude.

"I don't know what he wants from me," Diana responded after a minute. "Or what he wants for himself. I'm not even sure that _he_ knows," she sighed.

Shayera was quiet for a moment, and then said, "You love him, though?" Diana frowned.

"I did," she said. "But… what's the point of loving someone who won't return it? I can't do that to myself anymore," she ended brokenly, with a few tears forming in her eyes.

"And this thing with Lex is so _different_," she added. "It's such an incredible change to have a man make me feel _happy._ And maybe I should have been looking for that all along instead of allowing myself to get drawn into something with no future with someone who only ended up hurting me. I deserve more," she finished, saying the last sentence almost to herself.

"Bruce should have never let you go," Shayera said. Diana shrugged.

"He never had me, so he never had a say in whether I stayed or left. He's pretty angry about it, though," Diana said as she spooned up some oatmeal. Shayera's eyebrow went back up.

"He's already talked to you about it?" Diana snorted.

"If 'talking' is how we're describing shouting at me in the hallway last night as soon as I got back to the Watchtower, then, yes." Shayera made a low sound of empathetic dismay.

"He's a mess," she said.

"A mess that I can't clean up," Diana said in sad resignation. "I just wish it didn't hurt me so badly," she murmured, surprising herself at how much she was sharing with Shayera; but it was nice to have someone listen without criticizing her and it was a relief to have the conversation be about something other than her and Lex.

And, as she thought about it, Shayera could certainly understand being harshly judged for one's choices. Maybe that's why she wasn't laying into Diana with words of caution and an interrogation of Lex's possible plots and schemes against the League that his supposed relationship with Diana must surely be a cover for. As John would have undoubtedly done, had she sat with him.

"I wish he could have been more for you," Shayera surprised Diana by saying. "It's not easy to lose the person you love. Even when it's your own stupid fault," she muttered, looking down into her cup of coffee.

Diana knew that Shayera was thinking about her former relationship with John Stewart, the Green Lantern, which had dissolved upon the revelation of Shayera's betrayals, not only to the League due to her undercover mission with the Thanagarian military, but also due to the fact that Shayera had been engaged to another man during her romance with John. John had been seeing Vixen for several months, now, and even though he and Shayera still had feelings for each other, John had no interest in leaving his new girlfriend.

Diana sighed as she focused back on Shayera's words to her about Bruce. "I wished for so long that he could be more, too. And now, I just wish the pain from it would end," she said, swallowing hard to try to choke down the tears that were threatening.

"I know that feeling," Shayera whispered quietly. Diana reached across the table and squeezed her hand, causing Shayera to look up in grateful surprise.

"Thank you for listening," Diana said softly. Shayera nodded.

"Anytime, Diana. I mean that," she said. Diana nodded back, resolutely blinking away her tears before attacking the rest of her breakfast. She and Shayera finished their meals quietly, Shayera not asking any questions at all about Lex, which Diana found quite touching. Maybe… maybe she and Shayera could find a way back to friendship, after all.

If she was going to lose a friend in Bruce, which Diana feared was inevitable, then she could definitely benefit from rebuilding a friendship that had faltered. She had judged Shayera so harshly for betraying the League out of her military duty to her own people. Even though, in the end, Shayera couldn't follow through and had returned to the League where her heart truly was, to save her new friends' lives.

Now, Diana had to admit to herself that some members of the League would be looking at her the same way that she had once looked at Shayera; even though, to be fair, Diana _wasn't _betraying the League and Lex _was _going to change. But the first appearances of her situation looked bad, she knew that. Only time and Lex's actions going forward would prove his good intentions to the Justice League.

And in the meantime, Diana knew that she'd be on the receiving end of a lot of hate, or at least of censuring displeasure. And some members might never be able to forgive her for being with Lex, no matter how much he might change in the future. So… perhaps it was time to explore the concept of forgiveness a little more fully in regards to Shayera Hol. But where Bruce was concerned? Diana could only shove thoughts of him aside for now into a closed off corner of her mind. He was just too painful a subject to touch.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

"Hi Clark, Hi J'onn," Diana said as she made her way into the monitor room, which, thankfully, was absent of Bruce.

"Diana!" they both greeted her. Clark exchanged a look with J'onn.

"I hope Bruce didn't make a fool of himself last night," Clark said to Diana. She drew her eyebrows together.

"I don't want to speak one more word about Bruce for the rest of the day!" she said sharply.

"That bad…?" J'onn asked her.

"Worse," she muttered. Clark and J'onn both sighed.

"We tried to tell him," Clark said regretfully.

"You're still speaking about him," Diana pointed out with a frown.

"So, let us move on to happier topics," J'onn said smoothly. "Such as… Lex Luthor?" he smiled at Diana as he said it, but even more so as he saw the angry wrinkles on her forehead smooth out and her face light up with a glow.

"I never thought I'd see the day when Lex Luthor was a happier topic," Clark chuckled as Diana sat down.

"Me, neither," she admitted with a smile. "But, here we are," she shrugged. "And I'm really happy," she said softly.

"It showed in your pictures," J'onn said. Diana smiled and nodded.

"I know, they came out well," she said.

"You don't mind all the attention from the press?" Clark asked her. Diana shook her head.

"Not really. I live here on the Watchtower, so they're not involved in my daily life," she said. "And being raised a princess, I was taught to be poised in all situations. I was always under a lot of scrutiny on Themyscira, and here on Earth as well just from being Wonder Woman. It wasn't so bad last night."

"That is an admirable attitude," J'onn complimented her.

"Well, it's what comes with dating Lex and he was very good at handling the press, I must say," she smiled. "He really has a way with people."

"When he wants to," Clark said cautiously. "Too much of a way, sometimes."

"Yes," Diana sighed. "About that. I know you must have concerns."

"We do," J'onn said, "but… we also trust you. I am assuming that Lex has given you good reason to believe in his nobler intentions going forward?" Diana nodded.

"Yes, but I don't expect you to take him at his word. I know - we both know - that you'll have to wait and see if he lives up to it."

"Yes," Clark said. "What, exactly, did he say to you about his intentions to change? Because, frankly, there's so much that we either know or suspect him to be involved in that he would have to let go of that it's hard to imagine him ever being completely reformed."

"Well," Diana said, "Lex wants us to date until New Year's before he starts overhauling LexCorp. So he can be sure that _I'm _sure about him before making drastic changes to the company. He's going to eliminate the weapons manufacturing division, which is a huge percentage of LexCorp, but he needs to use these next few months to plan his exit and transition strategy so LexCorp can continue to make a profit in new ventures. He wants to do it in a way that prevents the hole in the war market from being easily filled by other companies, too," Diana said with a pleased smile on her face.

"But please don't tell Bruce that," she added with a worried look in her eyes. "I think Bruce would go out of his way to sabotage Lex's business plans.

"We… should be able to use generalities with the rest of the League. Concerning LexCorp, at least," J'onn said. "What of his more… _criminal _associations?"

"He's going to put a plan together to help the League arrest all the villains he's been working with regularly. He said he'd talk to you and Clark this week about the best way to handle a sting operation with the Justice League's cooperation."

"Oh," Clark said, surprised. "That's… definitely not the Lex I would have expected."

"What would you have expected?" Diana asked him curiously.

"To promise to cut ties with them all," Clark said. "But not to turn them in."

"We'll have to make sure it's not a trap," J'onn pointed out. "Not that we doubt _you_, Diana, but…"

"I understand," she said. "I'm sure Lex has thought of that already, and will cooperate however you ask him to."

"We shall see," J'onn said. "I do hope your faith in him is rewarded, of course," he added more kindly.

"I know," Diana smiled back.

"And what are his future plans?" Clark asked her. "To focus solely on running LexCorp? Eliminating all of its war-oriented subdivisions and increasing his profits in other markets? That seems like too little for a man like Lex."

"Yes," said Diana. "It would be. He's aware of that. But he has no interest in being a hero; you don't need to worry about him submitting a Justice League application, Clark," she grinned.

"He said he would love to consult with us whenever we're up against a particularly difficult villain, though," Diana continued. "He would 'take great pleasure in defeating them with his genius and showing them who the superior mind belongs to'," Diana laughed. "His words, not mine."

"That's… actually a relief," Clark said. "I would have been much more worried if he was suddenly claiming pure virtue." Dimples showed in Diana's cheek.

"He's still Lex. He just," she blushed, "he wants to get rid of the things in his life that make me unhappy. While still being as Lexy as possible," she giggled. "So if he can humiliate enemies and crush his business competitors and be the most powerful man on the planet… he will. But only for causes that I believe in."

"It sounds like he genuinely cares for you," J'onn observed with a small smile. Diana blushed some more.

"He does," she said. "And… I do for him, too," she finished softly.

"I hope he lives up to your faith," Clark said sincerely.

"He will," Diana murmured, the light in her eyes speaking much louder than her voice needed to.

Although Superman was rarely cynical, experience had taught him to doubt appearances where Lex was concerned. However, in this case… Clark couldn't shake the image from his mind of the way that Lex was looking at Diana last night. _He might actually mean it,_ Clark thought to himself with wonder. _But what does that mean for Bruce?_ he groaned in his next thought.

Batman was viciously sharpening batarangs in the BatCave when Alfred appeared. "You have a visitor, sir," Alfred said.

"A _visitor?_" Bats growled suspiciously. League members didn't have the location of the BatCave and he _knew_ that he frightened them far too much for any of them to be dumb enough to show up at Wayne Manor.

"Miss Shayera, sir," Alfred said. "She phoned from Gotham and asked if she might see you."

"That's a 'no,'" Bruce said.

"Sir…" Alfred cajoled. "She has come down from the Watchtower for the express purpose of speaking with you."

"Not my problem," Bruce grumbled.

"And here I thought that I had raised you better," Alfred sighed dramatically, turning to leave the BatCave.

"Oh, _fine,_" Bruce snapped. "Tell her to meet me in the alley behind the abandoned warehouse on 3rd and L."

"Very good, sir," Alfred said, pleased with him once again.

Shayera was waiting when Batman pulled up in the Batmobile. "Get in," he growled.

"Hi to you, too," she said, climbing into the passenger seat. Bruce reached over and sprayed BatGas over her face without a word and she slumped to the side.

He took the precaution of removing her mace from the car before reawakening her inside the BatCave. "What…" she muttered as she came to, trailing off as she looked around and realized she was in the secret lair. She frowned as she met Bruce's eyes.

"Was that _really _necessary?"

"Was it _really _necessary to come see me?" Bruce snarked back. "Or maybe you thought we'd just go down to the corner coffee shop and have a chat." Shayera snorted.

"Of course not. This is Gotham. I thought we'd talk while stopping drive-bys and taking out muggers," she said, getting out of the car and looking around for her mace, which Bruce held up before tossing back to her.

"If you want to stick around tonight, feel free. I can show you all the best criminal hotspots in town."

"How romantic," Shayera said as she stowed her mace back in the car. "No wonder Diana was falling at your feet." Bruce glared at her, his face getting hard.

"Did you get the short straw?" he asked her. "They sent you here to talk me into apologizing to Diana," he explained when she looked at him questioningly. "Be the bigger man. Get over myself for the good of the team. I'm sure Clark gave you an outline of points to cover."

"I haven't talked to Clark," Shayera said as she turned in a circle, taking in the entirety of the BatCave, which, truth be told, very few League members had ever seen. Clark probably had, she assumed, but… the others? She smiled as she took in the cavernous ceilings. "I talked to Diana," she said as she flapped her wings and lifted off into the air, soaring up and around and testing the air currents.

"Great," Bruce called up to her sarcastically. "What did Diana have to say?" His tone was grumpy but there was a little smile on the corner of his mouth as he watched Shayera floating happily through his cave.

"I'm more interested in what you have to say," Shayera said to him as she glided lower. He grunted in surprise as she grabbed him under the armpits and flew back up to the heights. "Why the hell haven't you asked her out, Bruce? We all know you love her," Shayera said in his ear.

Bruce tilted his head slightly to look back at her but he didn't answer, turning his face forward again before looking down at his domain from the height that a Bat _should _see it from, he thought to himself with a little inward smile.

"Bruce," Shayera said insistently, not letting him ignore her. "You're going to regret this."

"I'll regret you dropping me," he deflected.

"Will it make you answer the question if I do?" Shayera asked. Teasingly, Bruce thought, but sometimes it was hard to tell with the Thanagarian. He wouldn't put it past her to let him go into a freefall before catching him again at the last minute.

"I don't recall asking for your advice," he sighed as Shayera moved them in lazy circles around the cave, still thankfully holding him tight.

"Obviously," she agreed. "Batman never needs advice. Still," she went on, "take it from someone who's been there. Try to fix this before it's too late, Bruce. The alternative is… not pleasant," she finished, sadness creeping into her voice as she slowly landed them in front of the BatComputer.

"Shouldn't I have already tried if I cared that much?" Bruce asked her as he regained his footing, sounding frustrated with himself. "Maybe she's doing us both a favor."

"Do you really believe that?" Shayera asked him curiously.

"I don't know," Bruce muttered, half turning away from her and rubbing a hand on the back of his cowl. "I liked things the way they were," he said honestly, turning back to meet her eyes. "Whenever I thought of asking her for more, I... " he trailed off, looking conflicted and, Shayera thought, sad.

"What?" she asked him gently, reaching a hand out to rub his back.

"I thought of all the changes I'd have to make to myself," Bruce admitted. "I'm not a cheerful person, Shayera," he said.

"I _never _would have guessed," she said dryly. Bruce grunted but a hint of amusement glimmered in his eyes.

"I'm pessimistic," he pointed out to Shayera needlessly. "I'm grumpy. I'm not a people person. I live in the shadows and I _like it,_" he said.

"And?" Shayera said. "Some people would say those qualities make a good warrior." Bruce noticed that she sounded genuine and, to his surprise, her validation felt good. Not that Batman cared for other people's approval. But…

"_Diana_ would say what makes a good warrior is a heart full of love and justice and peace on earth," Bruce said, feeling his heart start to clench up again a little bit.

"For herself, yes," Shayera said. "But she appreciates you for your different qualities that make you Batman. Doesn't she?" Shayera said quizzically, searching his eyes, suddenly wondering if Diana was the only one in their weird limbo who was getting inflicted with pain.

"Diana likes me," Bruce agreed. "At least, she did until last night," he said guiltily. "But… I always got the sense that she was waiting for something more from me."

"Yes," said Shayera slowly, raising an eyebrow. "A date."

"Not just a date," Bruce scoffed. "For me to… be less gloomy," he sighed, blinking a little bit as he looked away.

"Oh," Shayera said softly, understanding slowly dawning and a sharp sense of pity for Bruce coming with it. He shrugged, looking back at her.

"And maybe I was waiting for her to stop waiting for me to change," he said. "So, now she has. Good for her."

"I'm sorry," said Shayera, and she meant it. Bruce sighed.

"I'm probably better off," he muttered, but he looked miserable.

"That doesn't make it easier," Shayera said quietly. "You really cared for her."

"I still do," Bruce admitted softly. Shayera surprised him by pulling him into a hug.

"What… is this?" Bruce said slowly.

"A hug," she said, gripping him tightly. "You need one."

"Batman doesn't hug," he said, but his arms slowly came around her back under her wings anyway.

"Shayera Hol does. Get used to it," said Shayera. Bruce sighed but he hugged her a little tighter. "What do you say you take me out on the town tonight and we kick some ass?" she asked him with a little smile as she pulled away. "Your batarangs, my mace?"

"Batarangs don't kill people," Bruce said dryly. "The mace is going to be overkill. Literally."

"Fine, your batarangs and my bare knuckles. I'm a Thanagarian, I can take some Gothamites," Shayera said calmly.

"Have you ever _been _to Gotham?" Bruce asked her skeptically. Shayera grinned.

"Not so much," she said, "but I accept your challenge, Bat. You track my kills and I'll track yours. Loser buys the drinks."

"Not kills," Bruce corrected her again, but his mouth was twitching. "Batman - _and associates_ \- don't kill," he repeated.

"Do we maim?" Shayera asked him.

"No," he growled, but she heard the chuckle in the back of his throat.

"How about breaking bones?" Shayera asked him. "That _would _be a good competition. So many little ones to snap and count up. I'm _teasing,_" she said when Bruce looked at her with something akin to horror on his face.

"I'm never sure with you," he said doubtfully.

"Of course you're not," Shayera said proudly. "A Thanagarian warrior never reveals her true hand. Deception is as important to the art of war as direct attack." She said it automatically, clearly quoting her military training, but she jumped and flushed when she realized what she'd said.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, covering her mouth with a hand, and blinking away some tears as she slid her eyes away from Bruce's.

"You did what you were trained to do," Bruce said gently, laying a hand on her shoulder. "And then you decided for yourself what was right. We forgave you," he said, seeking her eyes back out with his.

"I know," Shayera said brokenly, looking up at him. "But… it's still hard to forgive myself," she said heavily.

"Well, there's nothing like kicking ass for getting a little guilt out of your system," Bruce said. "Come on. Loser buys the drinks."

"Ok," Shayera said gratefully, smiling up at him a little bit. "Good thing you're rich," she said, clearing her throat, "'cause you're about to get your ass handed to you and Thanagarians can hold their liquor."

"I hope you have American money," Bruce shot back at her, "because if you have to borrow from me to buy _my_ victory drinks, I'm charging interest."

"Just like the rich, oppressing the poor," Shayera snarked back as they walked to the Batmobile. Bruce grinned. And quietly filed away the thought in the back of his mind that there was something to be said for hanging out with a slightly sharper edged friend instead of someone so wholesomely sweet. He felt more comfortable with himself and less… less than. And it was a nice feeling for someone who loved the dark.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7 **_

"Diana!" Lois's voice on the other end of the phone sounded both eager and relieved to hear from her friend. "Clark said you were all right and got home safe last night, but tell me _everything._"

"Well…" Diana said slowly. "I know Lex isn't exactly your favorite person."

"That's the understatement of the year," Lois said in her brisk no-nonsense manner. "After everything he's tried to do to Clark?"

"I know," Diana said regretfully. "He's done a lot of terrible things, I'm not denying that."

"So _tell _me what you see in him," Lois said. Diana smiled to herself even though Lois couldn't see it.

"He's… really nice, Lois. And considerate. Not just to me," she added hurriedly. "He was nice to the reporters, too."

"Well, sure, because he wants something from them," Lois countered. "And he wants something from you, too, you know."

"But he didn't," Diana argued. "That's what surprised me, Lois. He wasn't trying to ask me on a date. He was trying to get Bruce to pay attention to me." There was a pause on the other end of the line.

"Why?" Lois asked her. "That doesn't sounds like Lex."

"I know," Diana said. "But he was being sincere, Lois. He… felt sorry for me. That Bruce was ignoring me all night." Diana sighed. "It felt so nice to be noticed, for once. And _wanted_. And… I can't do this thing with Bruce any longer," she ended on a quieter note. Lois sighed.

"Diana, I get that Bruce has issues. I really do. He should have asked you out ages ago. And if you're done with him, I get that, too. But… don't you think maybe you're latching onto the first available person who's not Bruce?"

"No!" Diana protested. "I really like Lex, Lois. He makes me feel special and like I matter to him." Even as Diana said it, she could feel Lois's rebuttal coming.

"Diana," Lois said, and Diana could tell that Lois was trying to sound gentle for once, "there are so many men who could make you feel special. What's so significant about Lex doing that other than he's the first one? Given everything else that he is? Don't you think maybe you're rushing into something without thinking it through because Bruce hurt you?"

"I don't," Diana said in frustration. "It's not like that, Lois. Lex is going to stop being a villain for me."

"Uh huh," Lois said doubtfully and Diana gritted her teeth at her friend's patronizing tone.

"You'll see," she told her.

"Well, I hope so," Lois said, sounding like she hoped for the exact opposite. "But, please, Diana, keep what I'm saying in mind. I know this seems great now, but… be careful, ok?"

"Of course I'll be careful," Diana ground out.

"_Hera!_" she cursed after she wrapped the phone call up, letting out a frustrated groan as she tossed the phone on her bed. That had gone pretty miserably. Diana wasn't exactly expecting Lois to be ecstatic for her, but… a little bit of happiness would have been nice. Even Clark and J'onn were more supportive than Lois had been.

Diana sighed. As she stretched out on her bed, running her fingers through her long hair, she began to think about the differences between her friends. Out of all of them, she had to admit that Lois was the most brutally honest, the most skeptical of _everything_, and not prone to sentimentality. That was what made her a good reporter, honestly - a better one than Clark, and not just because he spent so much time being Superman.

Clark was good at writing slice of life pieces full of folksy interviews and fluff. He didn't really have the heart to stir people up with scouring questions and ferocious tenacity. For the Justice League, sure, Superman would track down leads and question villains. But even then, Batman was much more effective at getting the truth out of people (_scaring_ the truth out of them would be more like it, Diana thought.)

But when it was more ordinary people committing the crimes? And their involvement or guilt might be unclear? That was when Lois was the one to call, not Clark. His heart got in his way of his judgment, sometimes. Like with Shayera. Diana had voted against keeping her in the Justice League. _Obviously_, she thought to herself. Betrayal was not something to be forgiven.

But Clark believed in second chances and broke the tied vote, allowing Shayera to return. Which… maybe wasn't the worst decision ever, Diana could now admit, even though it had taken her a long time to come to terms with it. Lois would have voted with Diana, though, she was sure of it. You don't give someone a second chance to stab you in the back.

Except, wasn't that what Diana was doing now with Lex? From Lois's perspective, anyway. She supposed that she could understand Lois's lack of enthusiasm. And Lex _had_ always gone after Clark the hardest, she couldn't deny that. If it was her man being attacked, she'd probably be pretty protective and unforgiving, too, Diana thought. But it made her sad to think that her friendship with Lois, which they had slowly built over the last year or so, was going to become strained as a result of her relationship with Lex.

But - the smile on Diana's face and happy butterflies in her tummy said it all. Lex was worth it. Diana was sure of it. And as she daydreamed about him and thought back to last night, her phone rang and his name popped up on her caller ID.

"Hi, Lex," Diana said happily as she answered the phone.

"Hello, Diana," Lex said back, his deep voice giving her shivers. "Is it a good time to talk?"

"Yes," Diana said, although she sighed a little bit. "I just got off the phone with Lois."

"Ah," Lex said knowingly, and just the way he said it made Diana giggle. Which was one of her favorite things about Lex, the way that he could make her laugh so easily. It was so nice to be with someone _cheerful_ and funny, Diana reflected, feeling like Lex was her sunshine after a long, long bout in the darkness with Bruce.

"She thinks I'm rushing into this too fast," Diana said. "And, that, you know, it's with you." Lex laughed.

"Of course she does, she's Lois Lane," he said teasingly, warming Diana's heart up from the chilliness that had crept into it after Lois's phone call. She smiled a little bit, starting to relax again.

"She's one of my best friends, though," Diana said wistfully. "I don't really have many female friends, anymore," she said, and Lex heard the pain in her voice.

"That must be hard coming from Themyscira," Lex said with so much understanding that some tears came to Diana's eyes.

"Yes," she said, wiping her face. "It's so different here, Lex. Not just because of the men," she said, "but the women are different, too."

"They'd have to be, putting up with so much injustice from so many men throughout the entire history of the world," Lex pointed out. "You Amazons are a rare breed, Diana."

"We are," she said, smiling a little bit, but she hugged herself as she thought of home. "But I've changed, too. My mother finally gave me permission to return to Themyscira for visits but… it's not the same, anymore. _I'm_ not the same. And now I feel like I don't have a home anywhere."

"You have a home with me," said Lex with so much confidence that Diana's tears welled up.

"I love you," she said softly into the phone.

"Diana," Lex said, sounding incredulous, "I love you, too, and it is entirely unfair to tell me that when I can't kiss you." Diana laughed a little bit through her tears.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Don't ever be sorry for loving me," Lex immediately commanded. "I'll kiss you enough tomorrow to make up for it."

"I'll look forward to it," said Diana, giggling a little bit as she sniffed away the last of her tears. "I miss you," she said longingly and she could practically feel the smile stretching across Lex's face when he said, "I miss you, too, Diana. It's been far too long since last night." She smiled up at the ceiling.

"Did you talk with Clark and J'onn yet?" Lex asked her. "How did that go? Better, I hope, than your call with Lois."

"Yes," Diana said, feeling relieved again at their calmer reactions. "They have doubts, of course, and want to be cautious, but… they're willing to wait and see. And hoping for the best," she added with a pleased smile. "Lois, I think, is hoping for the worst so you'll be as far out of Clark's orbit as possible."

"Poor Lois," Lex said in a tone rich with sympathy, making Diana giggle again. Honestly, she could hardly stop herself from laughing at every other word out of Lex's mouth, and she _loved _it. She hadn't felt this happy since before she'd left Themyscira. "To be fair, I'd feel the same way if I were Lois," Lex said in a more serious tone. "I can't blame her," he added.

"I know," Diana sighed. "I was thinking that, too. About how I'd feel if someone was coming after you."

"Really?" Lex said with pleasure. "How _would _you feel about that, Diana?" he asked her, and he said it in such a dark and sexy voice that Diana actually blushed.

"Um," she stammered, not used to feeling tongue-tied, "well, I would take it very personally," she managed to get out.

"Mm-hm," Lex said, clearly waiting for more and sounding even sexier. Diana felt her heart rate going up and her blush deepening.

"Yes," she said, clearing her throat, "I… would fight them, of course. If I had to. To protect you," she said hurriedly. "Not that I'd want to hurt anyone, but to keep you safe…" she trailed off.

"That _is _an appealing image," Lex said appreciatively, as if savoring it. "Tell me, Diana, would you use your lasso on them? Or your fists? You'd be in your costume, I suppose?" Diana's cheeks were bright red and her breathing was heavy and she wondered how this conversation had suddenly turned into what felt like phone sex.

Not that she'd ever had phone sex, but she wasn't unfamiliar with the arts of pleasure, and… phew. How did Lex manage to turn the heat up so fast? Just by asking a _question?_ Not that she minded, actually, the feelings Lex were stirring up felt quite good… and she could definitely take care of herself when they got off the phone… as she was sure that Lex would be doing, too… which _was_ a rather sexy game to play with each other without putting it into so many words, since Lex didn't want to talk about sex until New Year's. _Hm,_ Diana thought.

"I'd definitely be in my costume," she said back to Lex with a playful grin, settling into her pillows for as long a chat as they both could stand. "Fists or lasso, now that would depend…"

Diana was bright-eyed and in a fantastic mood when she reported for monitoring duty that night. The delivery boy who brought Lex's dinner to his penthouse would probably have said the same about Lex, if he'd been paying attention to more than the extremely generous tip that Lex had pressed into his hands.

Bruce had started the night in a pretty awful mood, but he had to admit that after hours of competing with Shayera to round up criminals in Gotham, he wasn't feeling quite so bad. Still shitty, but at least he'd had some fun and now he was going to get good and drunk.

He was buying the drinks, of course. He might be Batman and it might be his town, but Shayera was… an amazing warrior. And good company, too, he reflected. He couldn't remember a time when patrolling had ever been _fun._ Pleasing, perhaps, in that rendering Gotham slightly safer gave him a sense of satisfaction, but downright laughably enjoyable?

Who the hell would have ever thought to make a _game _out of bagging criminals? He supposed that was what happened to your psyche when you were raised on a warfaring world, but he couldn't deny that his night had been, well, entertaining. Really entertaining. In a dark and twisted way that his Bat soul relished.

And it wasn't like they had maimed anybody. Or broken any bones - on purpose, anyway. A few may have been snapped in the line of duty, but what did criminals expect? Yes, Bruce was grinning to himself as they pulled back into the BatCave.

"An excellent night of conquest, Bat!" Shayera said as they exited the BatMobile, she looking as chipper as she had when they'd first set out, although Bruce was slightly less so, being only human.

"It was," he agreed with her, feeling surprisingly less stressed than he had earlier. Still sad, but it was easier to shove that into a dark corner of his mind now. "Let's drink upstairs," he said to her. "Where I have actual furniture. But you'll have to leave tomorrow through the BatCave. Not the manor," he said with a warning look.

"Of course," Shayera said lazily, waving a hand at him. "I assume I can pass out on a couch somewhere until morning."

"Or an actual guest bed, yes," Bruce grunted with a small smile. "Let me get out of the suit and then we'll go drink." Shayera nodded her agreement, smiling in delight again as she took off to fly around the cave while she waited for Bruce.

It really was an excellent flying space, she thought to herself. Nice and high, long caverns to fly through if she was so inclined, completely private so she didn't have to worry about pesky things like airspace and jet planes and humans who were still terrified either of her or a second Thanagarian invasion. She wouldn't mind coming over more often just to stretch her wings. There wasn't really good space for it on the Watchtower.

Bruce watched her fly after he changed back into regular clothes, and he couldn't help the smile that crept onto his face. It was nice to see his BatCave so lovingly appreciated by someone else. Sure, Clark had liked his gadgets and technology when he came over and he had been impressed with the cave's design, but Bruce liked the BatCave for more than his stuff.

He liked his _cave._ It was, honestly, where he felt the most at home, the most peaceful, the most like himself. He didn't choose the bat as his symbol for no reason, after all; he identified strongly with the animals. Creatures of the dark, seeing things that others couldn't with means that other animals didn't possess, exceptionally intelligent, flying out of the shadows - and despite their fearsome appearance, non-lethal and surprisingly gentle animals.

It was nice to see Shayera enjoying his cave, too. Not that he needed validation from anyone, Bruce reminded himself, but it was natural to value the presence of a fellow connoisseur with the same good taste. He liked seeing his cave get some love, Bruce thought, feeling pleased.

Shayera noticed he was changed and swooped down to land before him. "Ready to get drunk?" she asked him. Bruce hesitated.

"Would you… mind… flying me around the cave again first?" he asked her hesitantly and, Shayera noticed, a little shyly. Which was most unlike the Bat. It was because he wasn't used to asking for favors, she knew. But that wasn't why she smiled when she said 'of course' and picked him up. It was because he wanted to fly, too, and someone who loved flying simply for the joy of it, like she did, was someone who Shayera approved of heartily.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8**_

"Would you rather," Shayera asked Bruce lazily through her drunken haze, "always be able to beat me at chess or be able to fly?"

"Fly," Bruce said without hesitation, equally slumped and sloshed.

"Really?" Shayera asked him. "I would've thought chess. Given how often I win." Bruce smirked at her sideways.

"I like a challenge. What's the fun in always being able to win?"

"Um, _winning,_" Shayera said with a laugh. Bruce chuckled as he took another drink.

"You are such a conqueror," he said.

"Thank you," Shayera said proudly. "Your turn," she said, poking him. "Ask me one."

"Would you rather…" Bruce said, swishing his beer around in the bottle as he thought, "have never gotten with John if you knew how much it was going to hurt later?"

"What the fuck?" Shayera said to him, slapping his arm. "That's not a would you rather. Gimme another option."

"I want to know," Bruce said, shrugging. "For research." Shayera snorted.

"It's not like the answer is gonna help you any," she retorted. "Would you rather have never fallen in love with Diana if you knew it would end like this?"

"Yes," said Batman.

"Well, damn," said Shayera. "Just make me feel like the loser here, Bruce."

"I have to," he said, an uncontrolled grin sneaking onto his face. "You won the bagging battle. You win at chess. I get to win at stoicism."

"You're such an idiot," Shayera said to him affectionately. "Who uses big words like that when they're drunk?"

"Batman," Bruce said very seriously before dissolving into laughter, which Shayera joined him in, collapsing against his shoulder. "I'm not the only idiot, anyway," Bruce pointed out, taking the next beer from Shayera. "You fell in love, too, and fucked it up."

"Yeah, no shit," she said, popping the top on her own beer. "Hawkgirl and Batman, the two biggest idiots in the Justice League."

"The two best looking idiots," Bruce said with gusto. Shayera craned her head up to look at him.

"You think so?" she asked him.

"Hell, yes," Bruce said. "I'm so much better looking than Clark." Shayera dissolved into giggles before swigging some more of her beer.

"Yeah, you are," she said, nestling cozily into his arm.

"But you're pretty, too," Bruce said, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. "When you're not wearing that freaky mask," he added, making her laugh again.

"You wear a mask!" she protested.

"Mine is good looking," Bruce pointed out. "It adds to my sex appeal. Yours is just… horrifying." Shayera laughed some more.

"That's because I'm a Tha-na-gar-i-an," she sounded out carefully around her inebriated tongue. "Horrifying is hot as fuck on Thanagar," she calmly explained. Bruce took a drink.

"You're hot as fuck, then, Shy."

"Thanks," she grinned. "You, too, Batman."

"I think I should resent that," he said thoughtfully, "but I feel kind of flattered."

"Good," Shayera said, snuggling her head sleepily into his shoulder. "You should."

* * *

Diana couldn't contain her excitement in the morning on the shuttle ride down to Earth. Despite rosy thoughts of Lex keeping her awake long after having gone to bed when her monitoring shift was over, she felt full of energy.

"Lex!" she cried upon leaving the shuttle hangar and seeing him standing there waiting for her. Diana would have never said that Lex Luthor was a man prone to full-face smiles, but clearly he'd just been saving them all his life for her because she was treated to the warmest and happiest stretched out beam that she'd seen on _anyone,_ not just on Earth's most powerful man.

He caught her in his arms as she flung herself around his neck and he kissed her so passionately that she forgot about their date and roller-coasters and Justice League drama and everything except kissing him back.

"I love you," he said, pulling back from her lips only to get the words out.

"I love you, too," Diana said, happiness spilling out of her every feature. Lex's eyes glowed into hers for one rapturous moment before they were kissing again, sweeter this time, but just as intensely. He pulled her into a long hug before letting her go, savoring the way that she melted into him, leaning her head on his shoulder like she had when they were dancing at the ball.

"Are you ready to ride some roller coasters?" he finally asked her, needing to remind himself that he was meant to be taking Diana on a date today and not just cuddling her outside the shuttle hangar for twelve hours.

"Yes," Diana said, eyes sparkling as Lex reached down to link their fingers before leading her to his waiting helicopter, where the pilot appeared to be discreetly checking the instrument panels instead of ogling his boss's romantics.

"This is Carlos Vasquez, my pilot," Lex introduced her, "and Diana Prince, Wonder Woman," he said to Carlos.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am," Carlos said, shaking the hand that Diana offered him.

"Likewise," she said with a genuine smile, pleased that Lex had cared enough to introduce them instead of treating his pilot like a non-person who was only there to serve him.

"It's a beautiful day up in the skies today," Carlos said to Diana as Lex got her settled in her seat and her headphones on. "Although, I suppose you can tell that, yourself," he added with a grin. Diana smiled back at him as Lex took his seat beside her.

"I've never ridden in a helicopter before," she said with the excitement of a small child and Lex got the fondest look in his eyes at his sweet Diana who could fly around the globe under her own power but was thrilled nonetheless to be riding in a chopper for the first time.

"Well," Carlos said, an even bigger grin breaking out on his face, "I'll try to make it a good trip for you, ma'am." Lex's eyes twinkled at him in mutual acknowledgement of the cuteness of Diana before his pilot turned around and began his final pre-flight checks of his instruments before lifting them off the ground.

Diana squeezed Lex's fingers in hers happily as they took off and she peered out of the window as eagerly as if she didn't see the world beneath her every time that she flew herself over it. Lex chuckled a little bit, causing her to look back over at him, her deep blue eyes brimming with joy.

"Thank you for bringing me out today," she told him in her headset.

"It's my pleasure, Diana," Lex answered her. "Always," he added, lifting her hand up to kiss it. "We're going to Adventure Land which is a little ways outside of Metropolis. Lots of roller coasters," he promised her, causing her to bounce in her seat a little bit. "And the full amusement park experience. The water rides are closed for the season but there's still a lot to do."

"We'll have to come back in the summer to do the water rides," Diana said so easily, with such assurance that they would still be together in the summer, that Lex's throat got a little bit tight and he wondered again how in the _hell _he had gotten so lucky. It definitely wasn't karma, he knew that. He supposed that he must have Bruce to thank for being such a colossal failure at life, but… dammit if he didn't actually feel a little bit bad thinking such a nasty thought with his bright angel sitting next to him.

_Keep it together, Lex, _he thought to himself, although it was with more inner amusement than internal chastisement. _Evil villain,_ he reminded himself, but his heart was doing so many flip-flops in his chest that even his favorite moniker made him chuckle at the newfound irony of his life.

Oh, well, he could keep up appearances when Diana wasn't around, he supposed. Or just enjoy the massive mind-fuck that a kinder, gentler Lex Luthor would be to the world, and to the Justice League in particular. _Now that's the smart way to do evil,_ he thought with a more peaceful pleasure overtaking him as he flicked away his disparaging thoughts towards Bruce. _Keep them guessing. _And keep his conscience clean from spots that would upset his Wonder Woman.

* * *

When Shayera and Bruce woke up in the morning thoroughly hungover, still more or less sitting upright on the couch, a footstool had been propped under their legs and a blanket tucked around them. A silver tray with two glasses of water adorned with lemon slices was awaiting them as well as a bottle of aspirin.

"God bless Alfred," Bruce said warmly as he groggily opened his eyes and saw Alfred's hangover treatments in front of them. He didn't reach forward to take them yet, though, because Shayera was still snuggled up against his arm, one of her long wings cushioning his back as he leaned against it and the other gracefully drooping along the length of the couch.

"Is this the purpose of a butler?" she asked him sleepily as she peeked out from under her eyes. "To treat the hangovers of warriors?"

"The best purpose, I suppose," Bruce said with a little smile, despite the pounding in his head. "He's also good at guilt-tripping Batman into entertaining unwanted guests." Shayera chuckled a little bit.

"Truly a powerful being, a butler," she murmured. "A shame we didn't have them on Thanagar."

"You can share mine," Bruce mumbled, not really thinking about his words. He finally forced himself up just enough to hand Shayera a glass of water before taking the second one, along with the aspirin. He popped a few out and handed them to the Thanagarian before taking some for himself.

"Oh!" Shayera said as she swallowed them down with some of the water. "This liquid is… spicy."

"Cayenne pepper," Bruce said. "Alfred swears it's a hangover cure mixed with the lemon juice, but I've never done a blind study on it."

"Don't get drunk often enough?" Shayera asked him, gratefully drinking some more of her water.

"Don't want to upset my butler if he's wrong," Bruce grinned a little bit. They leaned against each other in silence again, eyes closed while sipping Alfred's odd concoction and offering up prayers for the pain relievers to kick in. "I had fun last night," Bruce said after awhile.

"Me, too," said Shayera, thinking to herself that this was the first time that she could truly say that since the Thanagarian invasion. "We should do it again," she said to Bruce.

"With a little less beer," he said.

"Agreed," said Shayera.

* * *

"My kids will be so impressed that I gave Wonder Woman her first helicopter ride," Carlos said with a smile as he landed Lex and Diana outside of Adventure Land.

"And it was a great one," Diana said sincerely. "Oh! We should take a selfie for you to send to your children," she added. "Do you mind?" she asked Lex.

"Not at all," Lex said, smiling a little bit. He stretched his arm around Diana's shoulders as Carlos took his phone out and held it in front of the three of them. Diana made a thumbs up and smiled broadly as Carlos took the picture. He passed his phone back to Diana to show her and Lex how it came out.

"I love it!" Diana said happily. "My first helicopter," she said with satisfaction. "Will you send it to Lex, too, so we can have a copy?" she asked Carlos.

"Of course," he said. Lex clapped him on the shoulder as he exited the chopper before reaching up to help Diana out. Not that she needed help, but Lex was nothing if not a gentleman. "You two have a great day," Carlos said.

"Thank you," Diana answered him and Lex nodded.

"I'll call you about an hour before we're ready to leave," he said to Carlos, who nodded back and prepared to take off again while Lex led Diana over to the turnstiles to enter the park. She had asked Clark's advice about what to wear and dressed in jeans and sneakers with a thin parka to stay warm. Lex, too, had worn jeans, Diana was surprised to see, having never seen him in anything except a suit before.

And he looked extremely good, she thought to herself, as she noted the sexy fit of the dark wash pants. He also had a black jacket on similar to her white one and he had put a knit cap over his bald head. "I expect that we'll attract a little attention," Lex said to Diana, "but, hopefully not as much as at the ball."

"It's ok," Diana said, and meant it. "We'll get some nice pictures of our date out of it from social media," she said, and something in Lex's heart melted at the ease with which Diana accepted the ruthless public scrutiny of his life and even looked at the positive side of it.

He had already purchased their tickets so they were able to walk right into the park, although there weren't nearly as many crowds queued up in October as there would have been in July. "What first?" Lex asked her. "A roller coaster?"

"Yes!" Diana said, jumping up and down a little bit in her excitement.

"There's several different ones here," Lex told her. "I thought perhaps we'd start with a traditional style without loops and then move on to the wilder ones."

"Sounds good to me," Diana said, happy to follow his lead.

Lex had them wait in line for the front car so Diana could get the full experience on her very first ride. She was brimming with excitement as they settled in and as the attendants pushed the harness restraints over their shoulders before clicking the waist bar into place. She reached out and grabbed Lex's hand as the ride started and he smiled at her.

"Ready?" he said.

"Yes!" she said. The ride started off slowly, gently rolling along some wavy drops before climbing ever so slowly to the top of a big hill. Diana clutched Lex's hand tighter, not scared, but eager to experience this phenomenon that humans seemed to so enjoy.

And then, as the cars plunged down at break-neck speed, her stomach bottomed out and she seemed to float weightlessly in the car before suddenly being hurled back up, slammed against the back of her seat before diving into another crazy drop with twists and tight turns added.

She may have screamed. Certainly everyone else on the ride was. Just when she thought the ride was over, there was another huge drop that spiked her adrenaline and made her shudder with the unexpected change in momentum.

As the cars pulled slowly back into the station, Lex turned to face his woman and saw that her eyes were super wide. She didn't look upset, exactly, but… shocked. And a little rattled. And… were the Amazon princess's legs wobbling just a little bit as she got out of the car ahead of him?

"_Hera,_" she was murmuring as Lex got out behind her, quickly wrapping a strong arm around her waist as he walked her off the platform.

"What did you think?" he asked her with a little bit of concern.

"That was… _nothing..._ like flying," Diana said, turning her head to look at him. "The rapid changes in g-force, Hera," she murmured unsteadily. "I've never felt such a thing," she said, shivering a little bit and leaning heavier into Lex's arm.

"Are you ok?" Lex asked her, searching her face for signs of nausea. Or panic. It had honestly never occurred to him that Wonder Woman wouldn't be able to handle a roller coaster. He had assumed, as she clearly had, that her ability to fly would have more than prepared her for the experience.

"Yes," she said, but she sounded unsure. "I don't know if I liked it or not," she admitted with a wrinkle in her forehead. "I think I'd like to try another," she said as she thought about it, "but let's wait a little while first, ok?" she asked him in a still slightly shaky voice.

"Of course," Lex said with a smile. "There are plenty of gentler rides to go on."

"Good," Diana said, shaking her head in amusement at herself and looking, Lex thought, even more adorable with the novelty of a strange and slightly terrifying new experience fresh on her.

_I wonder if she'll look like this after we first have sex,_ Lex thought suddenly, feeling a warmth pool in his belly and getting swept up in a feeling of tenderness that made him lean in and kiss her lovingly.

"I'm glad I shared this with you," Diana said sweetly as she looked up at him, unknowingly mirroring Lex's sexy thoughts, and he couldn't help but rub his hands along her back and kiss her again.

"Me, too," Lex said huskily when he pulled away, gently tucking her stray hairs behind her ear. "They should have photos," he said, clearing his throat and leading her down to the merchandise booth just outside the ride.

"Really?" Diana said with pleasure. "Of us on the ride?"

"Yes," Lex said, smiling as he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and pulled her into him as they waited with the other riders for their car's image to load on the monitors. Diana squealed with delight when their photo came up. She looked absolutely stunned out of her mind in it, as it was taken on the first huge drop. Her mouth was hanging open and her eyes were wide whereas Lex was just laughing but not overly undone.

"We'll get two copies of number one," Lex said to the cashier, pulling out his wallet. As he paid, Diana couldn't help but hear the whispers and see the nudges of the other riders as they noticed both her and Lex in line and, apparently, their roller coaster photo.

"I'll get a number five and a number one," she heard someone in the next line over saying and she bit back a smile. The merchandise booth was going to make a lot of money in the next ten minutes, she had a feeling, as more and more patrons started to realize that they could buy a picture of Diana Prince and Lex Luthor riding _their _roller coaster.

"Come on," Lex said gently when the cashier handed him the bag, tugging on Diana's hand as he led her away from the ride. "Maybe… let's walk for a few minutes to another area," he said quietly and Diana nodded.

"It really is ok, you know," she said to him, when they found a secluded bench to sit down on for a minute since Diana was still feeling a little off kilter from the roller coaster. "I'm a princess, I'm used to the attention," she said honestly, snuggling into Lex's shoulder. "It doesn't harm me for others to have photos of me. Or us," she said.

"You're a very composed woman," Lex said gratefully. "Other women I've dated think they love the press at first, but before long, they can't live with the burden," he sighed. "Not that I mind, now," he added with a little smile to Diana. "I just don't want you to suffer the same fate," he said.

"I won't," Diana promised him, kissing his cheek. "It's a small price to pay for being with you." And Lex's eyes actually got wet, because how in the hell had the Universe gifted him not only with Diana, but with a Diana who thought _he _was worth a little trouble to have. Him. Lex Luthor.

"I can't understand why you're with me," Lex said again to Diana, kissing her head, "but I am so grateful that you are," he finished.

"Always," she told him as she looked up into his eyes. "Now, what's a nice easy ride we can go on next?"

* * *

Alfred insisted on plying Bruce and Shayera with a hearty breakfast full of bacon, biscuits, and scrambled eggs as part two of his hangover cure.

"I think it'll make me sick," Shayera said doubtfully at the breakfast table, putting a hand on her stomach.

"Not at all, miss," Alfred said. "The grease from the bacon will soak up the remaining alcohol, the carbohydrates will settle your stomach, and the protein will help your headache."

"Okayyy," Shayera said reluctantly, looking at Bruce for confirmation.

"I don't know about the science behind the bacon and the alcohol," Bruce said, "but Alfred's breakfast does help."

"As will the coffee," Alfred said, setting down two steaming mugs in front of his charges.

"Ok," Shayera said with a little more willingness, seeing that Bruce was diving into his food. She slowly began to eat, starting with the biscuit, which melted in her mouth with a delicacy not found in the Watchtower commissary.

"This is amazing," she said with her mouth full, too impressed for manners. Not that she bothered with what humans considered good manners often; she'd noticed on more than one occasion that they were prone to taking inordinate offense to her naturally blunt manner. Which wasn't meant to be rude, but humans could be so _sensitive_ sometimes, and that made her much less inclined to try to school herself in the rest of their social niceties.

It wasn't like they made an effort to be understanding of _her _culture. Usually. Bruce never seemed to mind her rough edges, though. Probably because he was all sharp and almost as offensive as a Thanagarian himself.

"Did you make this biscuit from scratch?" Shayera asked Alfred. His chest puffed up a little bit with pride.

"Of course, Miss Shayera," he said as Bruce grinned. "I had plenty of time to make the dough whilst you and Master Bruce were sleeping off the effects of your overindulgence. And, in any case," he continued, "I should like to see anyone _try_ to serve prepackaged biscuits in _my _home," he sniffed. Bruce laughed a little bit around a mouthful of eggs.

"If we had waved some canned biscuits in front of Alfred last night, he would've won the contest for sure," he told Shayera after swallowing. "You never want to anger a British butler."

"Indeed you do not, sir," Alfred confirmed. Shayera grinned.

"That's good to know," she said. "For League emergencies," she deadpanned. "When faced with an undefeatable villain, throw commissary biscuits at Alfred to activate his super strength."

"Oh, you poor dear," Alfred said with feeling. "Is that what they're feeding you up there?" He looked at Bruce pointedly. "You could afford to build an entire space station but couldn't hire a proper _chef _for your troops?" he said with great censure. Bruce actually reddened a little bit. To Shayera's great delight.

"I, um, I'll rectify that," he mumbled, not meeting Alfred's eyes.

"You'd better put Alfred on the hiring committee," Shayera said calmly, licking her fingers and reaching for another biscuit. "I don't trust you anymore to make decisions about the food." Alfred gave her an approving look.

"I like this one, Master Bruce," he said. "Very intelligent woman."

"We're just friends," said Bruce.

"Even better," said Alfred as he returned with the coffee pot to top up their mugs. "You'll keep her around longer." Shayera busted out in a hearty laugh and even Bruce's mouth was twitching.

"As long as you keep making me these biscuits, Alfred, you'll never get rid of me," Shayera said contentedly, taking what had to be at least her third.

"Then I shall make them for you on your every visit," Alfred promised.

"You haven't even tried his homemade bread yet," Bruce said.

* * *

"Oh, Lex!" Diana said with delight. "It just… _melts_… as I try to eat it," she said, giggling. They were each holding a huge pink balloon of cotton candy. Lex's eyes were twinkling at the wonder on Diana's face as she pulled off another piece and carefully placed it in her mouth. She giggled again as it dissolved and Lex leaned in and kissed her with a lot of tongue, sucking the flavor into his mouth, too, and feeling so ridiculously in love that he could hardly stand it.

_What the hell was I thinking wanting to hold off on sex until New Year's? _he thought to himself, not wanting to cut their date short but feeling mightily impatient to take Diana home and find out how much more adorable she would be in his bed. But a sudden fear stilled his desire.

_Suppose you have her and then she leaves you. _The chill that swept through his body terrified him. Because… while he trusted her, and her feelings towards him… suppose things got too complicated with the Justice League and they made her choose. Suppose Bruce decided to get his head out of his ass and actually woo her affections and Diana found herself powerless against the magnetic pull of her first love.

Maybe… maybe waiting until New Year's was a wise plan, after all. More time to be sure. Not that he'd handle losing Diana well even now, but if she left him after giving herself to him - Lex was sure that the world would have never known an equal terror as Lex Luthor, Man Scorned. And destroying the planet and killing the entire Justice League would probably _not _be an effective means of winning back his Diana's affections, so… _Play the long game, Lex,_ he counseled himself. _Patience is a virtue and the stakes have never been higher._

"Try the funnel cake," he said to Diana, offering her a piece of the fried dough topped with powdered sugar. She ate it from his fingers, licking them clean with a sexy look that tested his resolve, but she quickly made things even worse for him by letting out an erotic moan.

"Oh, _Hera,_ this is good," she said, chewing with her eyes wide.

"Isn't it?" Lex said, smiling at her and thinking that it really was, in so many ways, and he could be strong, he was Lex Luthor. He'd just masturbate a _lot _and he'd certainly never lack for photos of Diana to jack off to. Not that he'd ask her for nudes; he didn't even want them, actually, he enjoyed the anticipation of seeing her for the first time in person. Not to mention that she was far too classy of a woman to request them from.

But oddly enough, Lex knew that he didn't need them, because any photo that showed her face was good enough for him. Even better if, like the ones from the ball, she was looking at him adoringly. But he knew that even their roller coaster photo would be going into his spank bank, because it showed the very essence of who Diana was - all the wondrous, innocent, and still oh so sexy parts of her in one fine package. That was _with. him. _

"We should serve this at our wedding," Diana said to him happily, drawing his focus back to her in the present.

"Funnel cake?" Lex said with a smile, pulling off a piece for himself. Diana nodded.

"_And _cotton candy," she said, taking another huge fluffy bite of it.

"We absolutely will," Lex said, and while he was not a religious man, he found himself hoping intensely to the Universe that his words would prove true and that nothing would prevent his marriage to his magnificent Diana.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9**_

"So," J'onn began the Justice League council meeting on the Watchtower, "we are all aware that Diana is now dating Lex Luthor."

Shayera and Wally nodded while John openly grumbled, not quite as quietly as he could have. Batman could have been a statue as still as he was sitting, his eyes staring straight ahead. Clark glanced at Diana to see how she was taking the room's reactions, but her back was ramrod straight and she appeared composed. Very much composed, looking as silently regal as the princess that she was.

"Lex has asked to meet with us to discuss combining our efforts to apprehend the criminals who he has been most recently working with," J'onn said.

"Suuure he has," the Green Lantern chuckled sarcastically under his breath. Batman, seated to his right, heard and quirked the corner of his mouth up, causing John to wink at him.

Undeterred, J'onn went on. "Lex has offered to come here to the Watchtower -"

"- _Hell, _no," John said loudly.

"Agreed," growled Batman.

"- or for us to come to LexCorp," J'onn continued.

"An obvious trap," Batman spat out.

"Agreed," John intoned, giving Batman a fist bump.

" - _Or," _J'onn patiently persisted, "for us to meet with him at any location of our choosing." Batman and the Green Lantern unfortunately had no retort for that option and instead engaged in a battle of mutually sarcastic eye rolls.

"Perhaps at the Justice League Embassy on Earth," Diana suggested calmly. "It's of no strategic value to the League and it's independent of LexCorp and Lex."

"That sounds like a good option," Shayera offered, and Diana gave her the faintest head nod in thanks for her support, which she returned.

"Agreed," Clark said, looking very deliberately at Batman and John. "Any objections?" he asked pointedly.

"None here, Big Guy," Wally said breezily. John sighed heavily.

"_Why _are you dating Lex Luthor, again?" he asked Diana in annoyance.

"Because _he _asked me out," she said sharply. The silence in the room almost sizzled with tension.

"_Ouch,_" Wally said loudly. Batman didn't appear to move his eyes, but Wally felt himself pinned under his disapproving glare nonetheless. "What?" he said, grinning widely. "Someone had to say it." J'onn shook his head like a tired parent.

Unseen by anyone, Shayera reached sideways under the table to Batman and squeezed his hand in silent sympathy. His appearance didn't change, but she felt him grip her fingers tightly back.

"So," J'onn said, calling the meeting back to order, "I propose that we arrange a meeting time with Lex Luthor at the Justice League Embassy as soon as possible. I'm assuming that we all want to be present…?" he asked, looking around the table.

Heads were nodding, but Batman said, "No." Clark raised his eyebrow questioningly. "It could still be a trap," Batman pointed out. "We should keep a few of the founding members in reserve to watch the Embassy from the outside for a double-cross. I'd suggest Shayera and Green Lantern," he said.

John jumped a little bit and glanced awkwardly at Shayera, but she just smiled at him. "Fine by me," she said calmly, giving him a sultry wink.

"All right," John muttered, looking away uncomfortably.

"And we should double security on the Watchtower while we're in the meeting," Batman said. "Having all seven of us absent - even if Lex thinks it's only five - would be an ideal time for an attack."

Clark glanced at Diana to see if she would take offense to Batman's suggestions, but she was sitting as unperturbed as ever. "That's very wise, Batman," she said in an unruffled voice. He glared at her.

"If we can trust you not to tell Lex our plans," he said snarkily. Wally gasped and put a hand on his mouth.

"Can I be excused from the meeting now?" he asked nervously, raising his hand to the air and waving it in a blur of speed at J'onn. Even Shayera was frowning.

"That's uncalled for, Batman," she said in a strong tone of censure. "Wonder Woman has done nothing to earn our mistrust." Bruce glared at her and tried to withdraw his hand from hers under the table, which he had still been holding, but Shayera gripped it even tighter as she drew her eyebrows together, pressing it into his thigh as she argued her point.

"You all accepted me back after what I did. In fact, you never even voted me out of the League," she said. "And I actually _did _betray you. All Diana has done is fall in love," she said, "_and,_" she continued as Batman's glower began to take on super-strength, "Diana is doing everything possible to allay our security concerns and to invite the League's oversight into Lex's actions. You should apologize," she finished, glowering right back at Bruce.

They stared off at each other for almost a full minute while the rest of the League sat in shocked silence, watching the power struggle. Finally, incredibly, Batman blinked and looked away. "Fine," he muttered. "I apologize," he grumbled out half-heartedly to Diana.

"Thank you," she said politely. In a crisply formal tone. "And thank you, Shayera, for defending me," she added with much more warmth in her voice. Shayera nodded to her with a little smile.

And ever so slightly let up on her iron grip on Bruce's hand. But she didn't let it go, giving him a few gentle squeezes instead and then holding his hand more softly in hers while their eyes betrayed nothing. After a moment, Bruce's fingers gently clasped Shayera's a little more tightly again.

"So, we're agreed," J'onn said with a look of relief. "I'll arrange a meeting time with the Embassy and Lex and keep you posted. Meeting adjourned," he said gratefully. Wally shot out of his seat and left the room in a blur of speed.

Diana stood up more slowly, thinking that perhaps she might walk out with Shayera, but she and Batman were taking their time to stand up. Diana and John were closest to the door, but Diana definitely didn't want to walk out next to him. He shot her a disgusted look as he stalked out of the room so she reluctantly turned to Clark in a pretense of intending to engage in small talk.

"How's Lois?" Diana asked him apprehensively. Clark rarely looked stressed, but Diana saw some tension in the smile that he tried to force onto his face.

"She's… Lois," he said bashfully. "She worries," he added.

"I know," Diana murmured sadly, casting her eyes down to the floor. Clark reached out and rubbed her arm but he didn't say anything else and walked past her to leave the room. Diana glanced back towards Shayera but she and Bruce, having finally stood, were now talking quietly to each other.

But J'onn came around the table to Diana with a small smile on his face. "Come," he said, taking her arm and leading her out of the room. "I could use some ice cream," he said to her with a wry look.

"That's an excellent idea," Diana said thankfully, feeling grateful once again for her best friend and his sensitivity to her moods.

At the back of the room, Bruce was grousing quietly to Shayera. "Way to back me up, bagging buddy." She grinned broadly at him.

"Don't look at me if you're being a jerk!" she said. "Honesty is the mark of a true friend," she added virtuously, getting an amused grunt out of Bruce.

"Well, if you're such a friend, how about coming back to Gotham tonight?" he asked her. "I could use some company on patrol."

"What are friends for?" Shayera grinned, slapping his arm. "Don't let me get so drunk this time, though, Batman," she laughed.

"No promises," he shrugged. "I seem to recall someone telling me that Thanagarians could hold their liquor."

"We can," Shayera said, "but I never said that the hangovers weren't a bitch." Bruce laughed at her and thought with relief that it was nice to have someone that he got along with easily, for once. Shayera seemed to like his sarcasm and dark moods and she could give as good as she got.

Being with other people was usually such a chore for Bruce, even with Diana. And he loved Diana. But he always felt pressured with her to be more than he wanted to be, like he had to live up to her invisible standards and be more polite and less snarky.

But with Shayera, he could let his inner asshole hang out, and she thought it was funny. Until he crossed a line, and then she was right up in his face. It was refreshing, actually, to not be able to intimidate the hell out of someone. Of course, Diana wasn't intimidated by him, either, but she was intimidating _to _him, and that was its own form of hell.

Shayera, though… Shayera was relaxing. And for someone who constantly carried the weight of not only Gotham but of the Justice League and the world on his shoulders, that was a pleasant change.

Wally was already in the commissary shoveling food into his mouth when Diana and J'onn made their way there.

"Can we join you?" J'onn asked him once they had their ice cream sundaes in hand.

"Of course," Wally said, slurping on his milkshake. "Tough meeting today, huh?" he commented, cheerful once again now that it was over.

"I'll say," J'onn muttered.

"I'm sorry for making things uncomfortable," Diana said contritely, genuinely feeling bad for the distress that her harsh comment about Bruce had caused the team.

"Aw, Princess, GL started it," the Flash pointed out. Diana smiled a little bit.

"Yes," she said, spooning up some ice cream, "but, I shouldn't have said that the way I did. Especially in front of Bruce." She frowned, feeling guilty.

"You and Bruce have to talk at some point," J'onn said wisely, "to work things out. Otherwise, tension will continue to build and spill over into the team." Diana sighed.

"I don't know how to work things out with him," she said sadly. "There's so much pain and anger there. On both sides," she admitted. "I don't even know where to start," she said.

"I'll help," Wally said around a mouthful of hamburger. "I'll invite Batman to dinner and not tell him you're also coming -"

"Oh, like you did with me and Shayera?" Diana said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Because that worked out _really _well, if I recall," she said sarcastically, but with a teasing smile.

"Well, hey!" Wally said. "Maybe you both need to go on a mission together. That's what got you and Shayera to make up."

"I don't know, Wally," Diana said doubtfully. "This is different. This is worse."

"I do not think assigning Batman and Wonder Woman to a mission together at the moment would be a wise course of action," said J'onn. "But I do think that the two of you need to sit down and talk. With me or Clark present, if you like," he offered. "But we cannot allow fractures in the team, Diana," he said. "Especially among the founding members."

"You're right," she said, hanging her head a little bit. "I'll… reach out to him and set up a time to talk."

"Good," J'onn said approvingly. "Now," he said more brightly, "tell us about the roller coasters."

"Oh, _Hera!_" Diana said, leaning forward as her eyes began to sparkle.

"John!" Clark said as he caught up to the Green Lantern in the corridor after leaving the council room.

"What is it, Superman?" John grumbled.

"Look, John," Clark said to him. "I get how you feel about Lex. Maybe better than anyone," he said. John sighed.

"But…?" he said.

"But," Clark said, "you have to set your personal feelings aside for the good of the team. Baiting Diana in the meeting was out of line."

"And you really don't think that dating _Lex Luthor _is out of line?" John asked him angrily.

"What kind of team are we if we police our members' dating lives?" Clark asked him. "Or if we say we believe in second chances… but only for _some _people? That's not equality."

"Look, Superman, I'm just saying -" John started in annoyance.

"_I'm_ just saying," Superman cut in, "that you need to keep your behavior professional. Your feelings are your own business, but how you treat your teammates? That's League business."

"Fine," John grumbled. "Have fun telling that to Batman."

"I think I'm going to let J'onn handle that," Clark said with a small smile, earning a chuckle from John.

"That might be the smartest thing you've said all day," said John.


	10. Chapter 10

_A/N Hey, readers! I posted 2 chapters back to back so don't forget to go back and read Ch 9 if you haven't yet. _

_**Chapter 10**_

"Welcome to the Embassy," King Faraday said to the Justice League's five founding members who were attending the meeting on Earth with Lex Luthor.

"Thank you," J'onn said. "We appreciate the Embassy's cooperation… _and _discretion… in arranging our conference today."

"It's our pleasure," said Faraday. "Hell, if Luthor can actually be turned to our side… well, we'll do anything we can to help." He was talking to J'onn, but Diana, who was trailing at the back of the group with the Flash, looked a little irritated at his words.

"Everything ok, Princess?" Wally asked her. She sighed.

"I know Lex needs to prove himself," she said quietly, "but… it's hard to not take everyone's doubts personally. Even if they are justified by his past," she said.

"Aw, I don't doubt his change of heart," Wally said, wrapping his arm around Diana's shoulders for a hug.

"Really?" she said in surprise.

"Of course not," Wally said. "Any man who didn't take one look at you and roll over and reform would have to be crazy." Diana relaxed a little bit and smiled in apprecation, but Wally gulped as he noticed Batman turn his head back towards him ever so slightly with a menacing look.

"Private conversation here, Bats!" Wally said nervously. "Eyes forward!" He and Diana heard a low growl drift back towards them and Diana sighed, her eyes clouding again.

"Like I said," Wally whispered, squeezing her shoulders tighter with a little grin, and Diana actually giggled.

"Thank you," she whispered back, wrapping her arm around Wally's waist to give him a hug as they followed Faraday through the Embassy.

Lex already had a projector hooked up to his laptop when they entered the conference room and he was bent over, fiddling with a few things on the computer when the small group entered.

"Mr. Luthor, anything else you need?" Faraday asked him as the League members filed in behind him.

"Not at all," Lex answered him, standing and immediately looking for Diana, whose entire face lit up as she pulled away from Wally and went around the others up to Lex. "Hi, baby," Lex murmured as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed him.

"Hi, yourself," she said back to him with a happy smile. Lex's eyes were warm as he gave her a little private smile back. "We're still on for dinner tonight after we finish here?" Diana asked him quietly as he held her around the waist.

"Of course," Lex said, bumping their noses together, making Diana giggle.

"Good," she said, giving him one last little kiss, and although Lex tried to school his features back to impassive as he let her go and looked away from her to the others, the small crinkle at the edges of his eyes gave away his glowing mood.

Batman had swallowed hard at seeing their little scene and was now looking determinedly anywhere else, scanning the room for boobytraps or listening devices or errant pieces of lint and he wished wholeheartedly that he hadn't assigned Shayera to patrol the perimeter while they were in the meeting. He could have used her emotional support, he thought.

Which was an odd thought in and of itself for the Bat to admit, but he was finding that even talking about his feelings was easier with Shayera than with anyone else. She understood without much explanation. And felt a lot of the same things, herself. Bruce was starting to find that he missed her presence lately when she wasn't there. He sighed silently.

"Well, if we'd all get seated, let's begin the meeting," J'onn was saying and Bruce thankfully took his seat, leaving Clark to sit next to Diana, who of course was next to Lex.

"Oh, Agent Faraday," Lex said smoothly as Faraday moved to sit. "I believe it would be better if you were not in attendance. We wouldn't want any suspicion to fall on you if… something were to go _awry_ with the plans we discuss today."

"Oh," Faraday said to him, clearly surprised at such a line of thought. He looked over at J'onn who nodded slightly. "All right, then," Faraday said, "I'll leave you to it." He nodded at the group and left the room, shutting the door behind him.

"Mr. Flash," Lex said graciously, walking around the table to hand him several earpieces. "If you would be so kind as to run these outside to your team members that I assume are on the perimeter. I'm going to jam outgoing signals in case anyone else is listening in and these have LexCorp tech that will cut through the interference so your teammates can still listen in."

"Not so fast," Batman growled, holding his hand out to the Flash. Wally glanced at him and immediately dumped the comms into his palm. "Our people already have specialized earpieces," he said to Lex. "Because I'm also jamming outgoing signals." He and Lex stared at each other for a minute.

"Excellent foresight, Batman," Lex said finally without a trace of his trademark sarcasm. Diana smiled. Batman frowned. And dropped Lex's communicators into a compartment of his BatBelt.

"Oh, by all mean, keep them," Lex said loftily. "I noticed Wayne E. stocks were down," he smirked, causing Diana to giggle as his eyes twinkled at her. Batman's glacial stare would have terrified a lesser man, but Lex paid it no mind.

Outside, listening in with Shayera on their Batman-supplied Wayne Enterprises earpieces, John groaned. "I really hate this guy," he grumbled.

"I think he was making a joke, John," Shayera said patiently.

"Since when are you on _his _side?" John asked her angrily. Shayera frowned.

"I'm not on anyone's _side_," she said.

"Coulda fooled me at the council meeting," John said with a lot of snark. "You and the princess seemed real buddy buddy."

"And you and the Bat seemed pretty rude," Shayera retorted, putting a hand on her hip. "Just because it's Lex Luthor doesn't mean that we shouldn't give him a chance. Or show respect to our teammate."

"Riiiight," John said sarcastically. Shayera was about to respond when they heard Lex start speaking again to start the meeting.

"Now, as I have informed the Martian Manhunter and Superman, and Diana of course," Lex said, "I have naturally, as you all may have assumed, been involved in some... collegial _cooperation_ from time to time with a number of different villains who I'm quite sure that the Justice League would like to put behind bars. My proposal is that we coordinate our efforts in a sting operation to take these villains down," he finished.

"And why would you want to do that, exactly?" Batman asked him suspiciously. Lex looked at him.

"As if I'd leave anyone on the loose who could hurt Diana," he said completely seriously, raising an eyebrow to underscore the stupidity of Batman's question. Batman blinked. Whatever response he had been expecting, that clearly was not it.

"And how do you propose going about this?" J'onn asked him. "Obviously, your hand will be revealed after our first intervention, so we would need to assemble as many of your… _colleagues_… as possible at one time to cast as wide a net as possible on our first strike."

"Naturally," Lex said. "Normally we would not all congregate in a large group, but as my situation with Diana has raised a number of questions, I intend to call a full meeting of the Legion of Doom to outline my 'nefarious plans of seduction' to everyone at once."

"The Legion of Doom?" Superman asked him, raising an eyebrow to the ceiling.

"It's not a League_,_ per se," Lex said thoughtfully. "More of a co-op, if you will. Where we offer defensive support to other members against you heroes while everyone operates independently on their own jobs."

"What's the catch?" Batman asked. "You never struck me as the charity type."

"Well, naturally I take 25% of each member's gross earnings," Lex said with a little smile. "Nothing comes for free."

"Of course not," Bruce muttered.

"I guess that explains the higher frequency of villainous team-ups we've been dealing with lately," Superman said, looking at J'onn. Lex shrugged.

"What can I say, Superman? You and your League were _so _inspiring." Diana giggled some more and Wally, catching her eye, began to smile a little bit, too.

Even Superman had to admit to himself that Lex, while still sounding like his arrogant, pretentious self, was dropping his jibes with a never-before-seen quirk at the corner of his lips and a gleam in his eye for Diana, whose reactions he was clearly eating up. Clark sighed to himself. _Love, _he thought.

Lex began to pull up maps and diagrams on his projector. "Here is the Council's cloaked headquarters," he said, starting to go over the plans for their tactical assault. The Justice League and Lex spent the better part of the next two hours nailing down strategics and an outline for their attack and Lex provided both J'onn _and _Batman with flash drives of all the pertinent data at the end of their planning session.

"Thank you, Lex," Superman said sincerely. "You'll let us know the date for the attack."

"Of course," Lex said.

"Well, if there's nothing else -" J'onn said, preparing to end the meeting.

"There is _one _more thing," Lex said. "The real reason why I sent Faraday out of the room. This can't go beyond the Founding Members," he said, looking sharply at J'onn.

"That's for us to decide," Batman growled.

"Oh, you'll decide in my favor," Lex said confidently, clicking to his next slide. Superman and J'onn drew a sharp breath as they looked at the screen and Batman narrowed his eyes. Wally gasped.

"Is that…" he said. "Are those…"

"Nuclear missiles, yes," Lex said calmly. "I'm in possession of ten. Was planning to acquire more, but, you know, Diana would rather have world peace as a wedding gift, so…" he shrugged and Diana's dimples began to show.

"The missiles are strategically positioned in key launch sites around the globe," Lex went on. "Very secure, very secret. I'm the only one who knows their locations and I'm the only one with the launch codes."

"What about the people who delivered them?" Wally said. "You can't be the only one who knows - oh - _ohhhh_," he said, looking down, realizing how Lex had accomplished his secretive feat. Lex sighed.

"I was once a troubled man," he mused, shaking his head sadly. "But the fact remains, the missiles exist. Now you see why no one but the Founders should know about this," he said to Batman. "The more people who know, the more people who can be turned."

"And what if you kill all of the Founders?" Batman said to him pointedly. Diana frowned and looked as if she was about to chastise Bruce but Lex laid a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"Now, Diana, Batman is absolutely right to be suspicious," he said, stunning the entire room. "Well, I _am _a formerly evil genius," Lex said with a little laugh. "Why should you trust me? And frankly, I don't trust you, either," he said. "_Except for you," _he mouthed at Diana with a little wink.

"So here's our mutually assured safety plan," Lex said. "Each missile requires two sets of launch codes to be activated. I propose giving one set to Aquaman and the other set to Queen Hippolyta," he said.

"Oh!" Diana said thoughtfully.

"That _is _an… interesting… solution," J'onn said slowly. Lex smiled in his superior way.

"Of course it is," he said grandly. "The Atlantans and the Amazons are both committed to the health and wellbeing of the planet and would never consider using nuclear weapons. And even if they did, Aquaman mistrusts surface dwellers and Hippolyta mistrusts men. It's a match made in heaven to keep the weapons from ever being fired."

"That… is actually a good plan," Superman said. "Batman?" he said, looking to him for confirmation and, maybe more to the point, to force him to publicly concede that Lex's plan had merit.

"It's acceptable," Batman muttered.

"So it's settled," Lex said with satisfaction. "If you would be so good as to call Aquaman to meet with me tomorrow on the Metropolis waterfront, I will personally give him his set of codes, and I will give Diana the other set tonight to take to Themyscira."

"And how will we know that you don't keep any copies of the codes for yourself?" Batman asked him. "Or give them to anyone else." Lex shrugged.

"Diana can use her lasso on me," he said as if it was of no consequence. But Diana frowned. Hard.

"No," she said, causing everyone to look at her. "I won't use that on you," she said to Lex. Lex looked surprised at her objection.

"I don't mind, Diana," he said. "Your team needs reassurance." But she shook her head harder.

"No," she said again. "I trust you and I'm not going to start using my lasso in our relationship every time that there's a question of whether or not the Justice League can trust you." She glared at her teammates around the table.

"First it will be over the nuclear codes. Then, the Council of Doom. Then, something else. It will never be enough for you!" she said angrily and although she was speaking to all of them, she was looking directly at Batman as she spoke.

"Lex didn't even have to tell you that he _had _the missiles," she said. "And he came up with a good solution to keep them safe. You don't get to force him to take a lie detector test because you're too afraid to trust someone!" She was fuming by the time she had finished speaking.

A taut silence fell in the room. Wally was the first to break it. "I agree with Diana," he said, causing the other three team members to look at him in surprise. "You can't say you're giving someone a chance to change and second guess them every step of the way," he said. "Lex is trusting us by telling us things that he doesn't need to and we should trust him, too."

Lex gave Wally a surprised but grateful look which Wally returned with a shrug and a smile. Clark and J'onn looked at each other, and then looked at Bruce.

"I believe…" J'onn said slowly, "that I must agree with the Flash. Shayera, John?" he addressed their outdoors members. "Do you have an opinion?"

"I'm with Batman," John growled back. "We're talking about _nukes._" Shayera bit her lip, looking troubled and mightily conflicted as John gave her a hard look. Finally, she sighed.

"I… agree with the Flash," she said over the comm, although she didn't sound too happy about it.

"Superman?" J'onn asked. Clark sighed.

"I've known you for a long time, Lex," he said. "And, while I believe in second chances for most people, one thing that I've learned about you over the years is that what you show on the surface is rarely your end game."

"However," he said, "what I believe in more than second chances is love. And despite who you are, and who you've always been, when I look at you, I see a man who loves Diana. So for that reason," he said, "because I trust who _Diana_ is and because I know what her approval means to you now… I also agree with the Flash. The League has no business subjecting you to lie detectors - Amazonian, Martian, or otherwise," he said.

Batman made a displeased grunt but didn't say anything else. Diana smiled around the table. At everyone except Batman.

"Thank you," she said softly.

"And I thank you, as well," Lex added, reaching to hold Diana's hand in his, "for trusting in my love for Diana, if nothing else." J'onn stood as Lex began to shut down his laptop and disconnect the cables.

"I will contact Aquaman and be in touch with you about the drop time," he said. "And with that, we are concluded."

Outside, John whistled angrily through his teeth at Shayera. "So," he said sarcastically, "we should welcome Lex into the family with open arms? And never mind his nukes?" Shayera just gave him a look.

"I guess I'm not surprised at your attitude. You never really forgave me, so why should I expect you to give Lex a chance?"

"What the hell do you mean, I never forgave you?" John snapped at her in shock. "Of course I forgave you."

"Bullshit," Shayera said with more heat. "If you'd forgiven me, you _never _would have started dating Vixen."

"Hey!" John said angrily. "You were the one who had a secret fiancé."

"Which you've never forgiven me for!" Shayera yelled back at him. "And now you're with someone you don't even love because you're too stubborn to admit how you still feel about me."

"I never said I don't have feelings for you!" John snarled. "I said I didn't want to be with you."

"Because you don't _trust_ me!" Shayera said. "Just like you won't ever trust Lex. And now, you won't even trust Diana, anymore. How long before you stop trusting J'onn and Superman, too?" she asked him. "Someday, you might find yourself in a circle of one, John," she said angrily, flapping her wings and lifting off into the sky, leaving him behind.

"I'll always trust Batman," John muttered sulkily to himself. "So that's _two._" But he kicked at the ground before lifting himself up to fly off in the opposite direction.

Inside, the Justice League was slowly walking out of the conference room and getting ready to go their separate ways. "Thank you for coming out today, Batman," Lex said graciously, offering him his hand to shake. Batman frowned at him and glanced at Diana who was at Lex's elbow.

"Right," he said shortly, not taking Lex's hand and whirling around to leave.

"Batman!" Diana said urgently, rushing after him, looking back at Lex to indicate with her eyes that she'd be right back. He nodded quietly at her, understanding without words.

"Batman!" she said again in the hallway, grabbing his arm. He reluctantly stopped short of shaking her hand off.

"Something else you needed, Princess?" he asked her coldly.

"We need to talk," she said.

"I thought you had dinner plans tonight," Batman said with a little sneer.

"I do," Diana said. "But the two of us need to talk. Tomorrow. For the good of the League," she added, her eyes pleading with him. Batman sighed, because as miserable as he was, it was hard to resist Diana when she looked at him like that and sounded so hurt.

"Fine," he said shortly. "Tomorrow on the Watchtower. After lunch."

"Ok," said Diana gratefully, relief showing in her features before she let him go. She took a deep breath as she returned to Lex's side, wrapping herself tightly around his waist in a hug as he kissed her head.

"Everything all right?" J'onn asked her.

"He said he'd talk to me tomorrow," Diana said, breathing out her tension.

"Good," J'onn said approvingly. "I'll speak with him beforehand," he added.

"Thank you," Diana said softly. J'onn surprised her by offering his own hand to Lex to shake.

"I am pleased to see, Lex," J'onn said as Lex firmly shook his hand, "that your feelings for Diana appear to be sincere."

"Most sincere," Lex said, smiling down into her eyes. J'onn's eyes softened the slightest bit.

"Good," he said. "Diana is a good friend. I would not like to have to wipe your mind and reduce you to a vegetative state for hurting her." Lex slowly began to laugh, dissolving into big belly chuckles.

"I like your style, Martian," he said. J'onn gave him a little smile and turned to leave, but Lex put a hand on his elbow. "Why don't you join us for dinner tonight?" he asked J'onn with a smile.

"Really?" J'onn asked in surprise, looking at Diana who nodded eagerly.

"Yes," said Lex. "I'd like to get to know Diana's friends better."

"I… would enjoy that," J'onn said slowly. "Thank you," he said to Lex as Diana smiled at him.

"Hey, I'm not doing anything tonight either," Wally said, popping his head up behind J'onn's.

"Well, by all means," Lex said in some amusement, "join us. The more the merrier."

"Sweet!" Wally said with glee. "You're paying right? Because I eat a _lot._" Diana began to giggle.

"You're welcome to join us, too, Superman," Lex called to him as he was walking out the door. "With a… _plus one_, if desired," he said with a little wink.

"Thank you," Superman said kindly, "but, I already have dinner plans. And… I don't think she'll want to change them," he said with a little sigh, meeting Diana's eyes ruefully.

"I understand," Diana said softly and Lex nodded.

"Another time, perhaps," he said.

"I hope so," Superman said, but he sounded somewhat doubtful.

Batman's internal monologue of pessimism was going at full steam as he stomped out of the Embassy alone, but he pulled himself up short when he saw Shayera waiting outside, twirling her mace with a glum face.

"Come on," she said, moving behind him to pick him up. "I'll fly you to Gotham." Batman sighed but he didn't try to stop her.

"Rough meeting?" she said to him sympathetically as they flew through the air. He grunted.

"Rough stakeout?" he asked her back.

"Yeah," she muttered. "Why are you the easiest person in the whole League to get along with?" she asked him as they flew. "Even when we disagree?"

"Must be my natural charm," Bruce said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. Shayera chuckled.

"I don't like trusting Lex either," she said to him after awhile.

"I know," Bruce said to her. "I understand why you voted how you did."

"Yeah," Shayera muttered again. "Hypocrite, thy name is Shayera," she sighed.

"Don't beat yourself up about it," Bruce said. They flew in silence for a few minutes, and then he spoke again. "Diana is insisting that the two of us talk tomorrow."

"Oh, _that_ should be fun," Shayera said. He grunted miserably.

"What happened with you and John?" he asked her.

"Oh, you know," Shayera said, "he told me in no uncertain terms that he doesn't want to be with me." She tried to sound nonchalant but her voice wobbled as she said it.

"Fuck, Shy," Bruce said. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well," she said, blinking away some tears as she soared through the sky. "You had to watch the two lovebirds in person, so we both had a shitty day."

"It's a little better now," Bruce said as they cruised towards Gotham.

"Yeah," said Shayera with a little bit of a smile as she squeezed him a little tighter. "It is."


	11. Chapter 11

_A/N Lemons ahead! Read at your own risk. _

* * *

_**Chapter 11**_

Much later that night in the BatCave, Bruce was helping Shayera put sheets on the mattress that she had flown up to a high ledge in one of the cave's back recesses.

"Thanks so much for letting me set up my own bedroom here, Bruce," Shayera said sincerely as they made the bed. Bruce shrugged.

"It'll keep you from getting trapped upstairs in the manor one morning if Alfred decides to let Bruce Wayne be assaulted by uninvited guests," was all he said, but there was more of a smile on his face than he was accustomed to, which Shayera noticed.

"I'll enjoy sleeping in the cave better, anyway," she said warmly, and Bruce gave her a full smile at that.

"Honestly, I'd sleep in here, too, if I could fly myself up to one of these ledges," he said, looking out over his cave fondly.

"Just say the word, and I'll be your shuttle service," Shayera said. Bruce grunted, but it was with some amusement.

"Sure," he said, "and then you'll abandon me up here when I piss you off."

"I would never!" Shayera protested, but as Bruce looked at her skeptically, she burst out laughing. "Ok, I might," she said. "But only if you deserved it!"

"Uh huh," Bruce said with a chuckle. "I'll stick to sleeping in the manor, thanks."

"Coward," Shayera said affectionately, causing Bruce to throw a pillow at her. "Hey!" she said, laughing. "Watch the candles!"

"I'll find a battery-operated light for you tomorrow," Bruce said, grabbing a pillowcase to put on one of the pillows that he _hadn't_ thrown, "and then the pillow fight is _on,_" he smirked, making Shayera laugh some more.

She flopped down on the bed gratefully when they finished making it, spreading her wings out with a sigh. Bruce sat next to her, leaning back against a wing and some pillows.

"You're going to have to start wearing your mask again now that you're patrolling with me every night," he said to her, nudging her side.

"I don't need the mask!" Shayera said with a chuckle. "The wings give it away, Bruce."

"This is Gotham," he said to her seriously. "You have to play up the drama if you're going to work in my town. We're very big on the theatrics here." Shayera laughed up into his twinkling eyes but she looked a little sad after.

"I'm not going to be Hawkgirl, anymore," she told him. He looked at her questioningly. "The mask," she said brokenly. "It's our Thanagarian war armor. I just - I don't want to wear it, anymore," she said softly.

"Oh," said Bruce, with understanding. "I can make you a new mask," he said, picking her hand up in his and casually interlacing their fingers. "Something different but equally terrifying." Shayera gave him a small smile.

"Like what?" she said. "No birds."

"Oh," Bruce said, frowning. He thought for a minute. "Gargoyle, then." He grinned, pleased with himself. "That's perfect for Gotham. Should scare the shit right out of the muggers with your wings coming down on them as you jump off a building."

Shayera laughed a little bit, but she said, "Gargoyles, aren't they evil predators, though?" She shook her head. "I don't want to be seen like that anymore."

"No," Bruce said in some surprise. "Gargoyles aren't evil at all. They're meant to be protectors."

"Oh!" said Shayera, sounding pleased. She slowly smiled. "Gargoyle Girl? That's a mouthful."

"And a tongue twister," Bruce said wryly. "Just Gargoyle is fine."

"I don't know," Shayera countered, "it's not a very flashy name."

"Oh, now you want to be flashy?" Bruce teased her. "I thought Thanagarians went for horrifying."

"It's not horrifying enough, either," Shayera said with a grin, kicking him a little bit with her foot. Bruce smiled at her and the smile that she sent back to his eyes gave him the warmest feeling suddenly.

"How about the Gotham Gargoyle?" he asked her, gently kicking her back. "Nothing says horrifying like Gotham." Shayera laughed out loud.

"There it is," she said, happy flames of light flickering in her eyes as she pressed her shoulder into his. Their eyes caught and stayed stuck together for a long minute before Bruce slowly leaned in and kissed her. Shayera kissed him back, reaching her free hand to the back of his head as she pressed deeper into the kiss and pulled herself even closer to him.

"You big, grumpy bat," Shayera said affectionately as they broke apart and she smiled up at him.

"You horrifyingly hot gargoyle," Bruce said back to her, reaching a hand up to stroke her face as he looked into her eyes.

"Is it weird that we're still hung up on other people?" Shayera asked him, reaching over to kiss his jawline.

"You're asking _me_?" Bruce said with a chuckle as he skimmed his hand along her hip. "Hang ups define me." Shayera laughed, pulling him forward a little bit to free her wing from behind his back so she could roll over and straddle him. Bruce wrapped his arms around her waist as she happily smiled down at him.

"I guess we'll get over them, eventually," she said, running her fingers through his hair before kissing him some more.

"What is life without pain, anyway?" Bruce said philosophically after a minute when Shayera leaned back only to pull his shirt over his head. "Pain is what drives the warrior," he said with a gleam in his eye as Shayera ran her fingers over his abs.

"Very true," she agreed, stretching forward to press kisses to his neck. "We'd probably lose our edge if we didn't stay partially miserable," she said with contentment. Bruce grinned up at her before looking at her top in helpless confusion.

"How the fuck do you get this off over your wings?" he asked her, sliding his fingers under the front edge of it.

"It unhooks in the back," she grinned at him, demonstrating.

"Good to know," Bruce said as she threw it aside. He pulled her into him, pressing kisses all over her breasts before sucking one into his mouth as he slid his hands lower to her butt. Shayera sighed happily as she massaged his scalp behind his ears and ground herself against his growing erection.

The little moans that Bruce was drawing out of her throat were getting louder when Shayera suddenly grabbed his face with both hands. "I like you so much better than him," she admitted. "As a person, I mean. Not just a lover."

"I like you better, too," Bruce said roughly, freeing her breast so he could speak to her. "You're more fun."

"_Yes,_" said Shayera, sliding her upper body down Bruce's legs to pull his gym pants off. "You're so much more fun. And easier to talk to." Bruce grunted his agreement as Shayera grasped his cock in one hand and went down on him.

"Fuck, Shy," Bruce muttered as she sucked him off while he lightly held her head with his fingers and played with her hair a little bit. "God, you're good at that," he grunted. She winked at him as she continued to pump her mouth up and down his shaft, licking around it with her tongue as she went and taking him all the way down her throat to his balls as he moaned out little words of approval to her.

When Bruce finally pulled her off of him, he said to her in a raspy voice, "I don't just like _you_ better. I like _myself_ better when I'm with you." As he looked intensely into her eyes, he saw that his statement actually caused Shayera to tear up.

"Me, too," she said quietly. Bruce pushed himself forward so he could lay Shayera down on her back under him as he stripped her pants off. He began kissing his way down her stomach to her mound, gently separating her folds with his fingers to give him better access to her clit when he got there. She moaned as he began to lick and suck at it and she clutched his hair hard as she writhed under him.

Their eyes met as Bruce continued lapping at her with his tongue and the tenderness that flowed between them made Bruce's breath catch in his throat. Had he ever felt so emotional during sex before, he thought to himself, or cared so much about the woman that he was with? In fact -

"I love you," he said to Shayera with wonder, lifting his head up a little bit from her slit.

"Yeah, I love you, too," she smiled down at him. "Go figure."

"No accounting for taste," Bruce said with a little grin, making her laugh before he began to eat her out again, more passionately this time, adding fingers into her slick pussy and pumping hard but slow until she came with a loud cry, her core quivering around him as he continued to stroke his tongue along her folds until her aftershocks faded.

He kissed her mouth deeply when he moved to lay over her before sliding his cock slowly inside of her. Shayera groaned in pleasure as he sank in deep, wrapping her arms around his neck and shifting her hips around him as he went to help him get all the way in.

"You're my best friend," she whispered up to him as he hovered over her, holding himself still for a minute before moving.

"You're mine, too," he said, stroking her hair back from her face with both hands. "I should have been looking for you in the first place," he said, giving her another long kiss.

"It doesn't matter," Shy said when he lifted his head back up. "We've got each other now." Bruce smiled at her as he began to thrust, Shy meeting him with her hips at every move and making happy noises every time they came together.

As they fucked, Bruce thought to himself that that this was the first time in his life that he would actually describe sex as making love. And Shayera? Well, Shy was clearly making love to him right back, pouring out so much affection and warmth that Bruce began to feel some of the cold icy edges melting off of his soul and tiny little sparks of happiness and joy bubbling up through the cracks in the empty spaces left behind.

"I'm getting close again," Shy panted to him a few minutes later, prompting Bruce to slip some fingers back to her clit to help her fall over the edge as he pounded her harder, twisting his cock up into her g-spot with every thrust. She came with a loud cry, squeezing her legs around Bruce's waist as she rode out her wave before he came, too, moaning into her mouth as he shot stream after stream of cum into her still-trembling cunt.

They held each other for a minute after they finished, Bruce still inside of her and Shy's legs still holding him tight.

"I love you, Bruce," she told him again with the best smile he'd ever seen on her face.

"I love you, too, Shy," he said, and for once in life, his face looked relaxed and peaceful and even content and that made Shayera's heart even happier, knowing that she was the reason behind it.

With a long sigh, Bruce finally pulled out and helped her crawl back up to the head of the bed with him. He lay on his back and Shayera draped herself on top of him, her wings gently stretched out over the bed as he held her.

"I'm sorry you won't ever be able to date me as Bruce Wayne," he said to her sometime later as they continued to cuddle in their cave-ledge bed. She snorted.

"I'm not," she said. "Have you ever _met _yourself as Bruce Wayne?" she said. "I love you, Bruce, as Batman, but as Bruce Wayne? You're kind of the worst." He laughed. "And those charity events," Shayera went on, "and the stupid paparazzi and public appearances… nope, I'm good with just Batman," she said with a pleased smile on her face. "As long as you are," she added, looking up at him for confirmation.

"I am," he said. "Bruce Wayne will fly solo from now on."

"He'd better," Shayera said, elbowing him a little bit and getting a kiss in return. "But Batman can fly around the BatCave with the Gotham Gargoyle," Shayera said with satisfaction.

"I'm gonna make you the scariest mask," Bruce said drowsily, running his fingers up and down her back.

"Good," Shayera said into his chest as her eyes started to close. "It'll make me look super hot."

"You're already super hot, Shy," Bruce mumbled, hugging her a little tighter.

"So are you, Batman," she murmured back. "So are you."


	12. Chapter 12

_**Chapter 12 **_

The Green Lantern was still grumbling to himself as he flew away from the Justice League Embassy after the team's meeting with Lex Luthor - and, more significantly, after his fight with Shayera.

"I trust her," he was muttering to himself. "Not wanting to date her again has nothing to do with not trusting her," he grumbled. "Can't a man want to move on? It's not like she was reaching out to _me _after the Thanagarian invasion."

But in his gut, John knew that it wasn't like Shayera was hiding, either. She'd been open with the League about the fact that Doctor Fate and his wife had offered her a room in their home for as long as she wanted it so that she could take some time for herself to regroup and heal. John could have visited her. He knew this.

But dammit, she had _hurt _him. In so many ways. As if the invasion wasn't enough reason to feel completely betrayed, she'd had a _fiancé_? So, what was he, John Stewart? A nice little distraction? Nothing more than Shayera's band-aid for her loneliness and isolation from her lover and her people? He'd had real feelings for her.

Hell, he still did. And that's why he didn't visit her. What is a man supposed to do with what Shayera had done to him? Just up and _forgive_ her? And, ok, he'd forgiven her for the invasion, sure. He used to be a Marine, he knew something about military duty and following orders. That part had been easier for him to get over.

The fiancé, though. That hurt. They'd never been able to resolve if Shayera had been planning to go back to the guy or not, since it turned out the Thanagarians were intending to kill everyone on Earth to save their own race from its ongoing inter-planetary war - a fact which Shayera hadn't known at first.

So could you blame him for dating Vixen when it was all over? She was a hell of a fine woman, sultry and strong, able to keep him on his toes with her wit and charm, and maybe she'd been his rebound; John wasn't denying that. He didn't think that Vixen was denying it, either. She was no fool.

But they were good together. And one thing that being in the Marines had taught John was loyalty. To your comrades, to your country, and to your family. And breaking up with Mari to get back with Shayera as soon as she poked her head back out of her shell didn't sit well with the man who John was. He had integrity; he had values. He had self-respect. And he had a woman in his life who hadn't betrayed him, who he had real potential with.

Did that mean he didn't still love Shayera? Loving her was never the problem. _Choosing _her again, after everything she'd done… even without Vixen on the scene, John wasn't sure that he could stomach going back to Shayera. So maybe Vixen was more than a rebound; she was a shield, too, keeping John from his own internal weakness that might lead him to a decision that he would later regret.

It was with these thoughts that John realized he'd been flying towards Chelsea, New York without even realizing it. With a small grin to himself, John landed a short distance from Vixen's loft and used his ring to change his clothes into a stylish suit. It had been a long time since he'd taken his woman out.

And yeah, he couldn't deny that Shayera coming back to work had been part of the reason for that. Things were… stressful, now. Confusing. Too many emotions floating around for John's comfort. Especially after he, Batman, and Diana had gotten launched into the future while chasing Chronos where he saw his and Shayera's _son._

But there was no guarantee that the future they'd seen was _their _future. After all, future Batman had no memories of the Chronos incident, which he should have if it had been their own timeline. And John refused to be Fate's pawn. He'd made his decision and he would stick by it, and his decision was Mari.

And a date with her would be just the thing to take the sting and the longing out of his afternoon with his ex.

"John!" Vixen said with pleasure when she answered her door. Her smile deepened as she took in his sharp threads and the bouquet of roses that he held in his hands. "What's all this?" she said with a smile. "I wasn't expecting to see you tonight, boo."

"Dealing with Lex and Diana all afternoon made me want to spoil you," John said with a suave smile. "It's been too long since our last date night."

"You've got that right," Mari smiled, pulling him inside and giving him a sexy kiss. "Put these in water for me while I get changed, will you? What are we doing?"

"Dinner and dancing?" John asked her. "I've been wanting to take you to that jazz supper club up in Harlem."

"Sounds perfect," Mari said, her eyes sparkling. "And I've got _just _the new dress to wear," she grinned. "Got it from my latest shoot." When Mari wasn't working for the Justice League as Vixen, she was one of the world's top models, constantly walking runways and appearing in photo spreads.

"How did your meeting go?" she called to him from the bedroom while she changed with the door open. John made a frustrated noise that would have rivaled one of Batman's grunts.

"Not well," he said, in irritation as he pulled a vase out from under Mari's sink and added water. "The League seems to have their heads lodged permanently up their asses where Diana and Lex are concerned. Except for Batman, thank God," he said gratefully.

"Are there security issues you're worried about?" Vixen asked him seriously. John sighed.

"More than a few," he grumbled.

"And you feel the League's not addressing them?" she asked him as she came out in a fitted and expensive looking gold halter dress. She offered her back to John to be zipped up with a flirtatious glance over her shoulder and he hummed in appreciation.

"The other members _think _they're addressing the risks," John said to her, "but you can't address risks posed by Lex Luthor while ignoring the giant elephant in the room that _is _Lex Luthor. Diana should never have started dating him!" John said with even more ire. Vixen sighed.

"I'm with you there, boo," she said, shaking her head. "There's times when business and pleasure can't mix and when push comes to shove, you'd better choose the Justice League and world security over a hot crush."

"_Right_?" John said with satisfaction. "_You_ get it. Batman gets it. I wish the rest of the Founders did," he said. Vixen rubbed a hand seductively along his chest.

"Well, maybe I can take your mind off of it, just for tonight," she said in a heated purr that prompted an appreciative growl back from John.

"Baby, you take my mind off everything except you," he said with a sexy smirk, pulling her in by the waist for a long kiss. She sighed as she unwrapped her hands from around his neck.

"Dinner and dancing first, lover boy," she said with a wink. "You owe me a good date night."

"Yes, _ma'am_," said John, picking up her hand so he could take his sane, sensible, loyal woman out on the town. He'd fall in love with her eventually, right? With so much going for her? They were a good match. Maybe all he needed to do was up his game and pay more attention to romancing her and the deeper feelings would follow. He hoped.

Because he couldn't lie to himself - something inside of him had withered and died when he told Shayera this afternoon that he didn't want to be with her. It was the truth, sure. For now. And they were having an argument. God, that woman could be so stubborn and difficult sometimes. Well, all the time. But… did he _never _want to get back together with her? What if things didn't work out one day with Mari? Would time ever heal the rift between him and Shayera?

No, better not to think like that. Make it work with him and Mari. It could. It would. Feelings weren't everything. Discipline, commitment - those were things he _could _control. And hadn't his Marine training taught him that honorable choices produced more satisfying emotions in the long run than whatever shallow surface whims a man might feel? Mari was a good choice. A better choice. And he'd damned well make it work. His heart would catch up.

After leaving the Embassy meeting, Superman, too, had changed clothes - for him, into his bumbling, slightly frumpy Clark Kent suit. His slightly nicer one for date night with Lois, although it pained him to admit, none of his suits were that great. He sighed sometimes when he saw how good Bruce looked in his tux, or John in his elegantly cut suits that he favored as a civilian, but Clark knew that he had to make certain sacrifices in his appearance in order to maintain his secret identity.

It was hard, sometimes, to always be playing the idiot. That, Bruce understood, at least, but Bruce got to look damn good while doing it since he was a _billionaire_. Oh, well. Lois knew she got Superman, too, and not just her lowly country-boy colleague Clark Kent.

At least the rest of the staff at the Daily Planet whispered that he must be simply _amazing _in bed, because why else would _Lois Lane _be with someone so fuddy-duddy? That was a nice ego boost. And not untrue, based on Lois's reactions to him, which her heart rate and body temperature always confirmed as genuine. So, there was that.

Anyway, even if he as Clark wasn't much to look at fully clothed, he could get her nice flowers, he thought with satisfaction, looking at his rose and lily bouquet with pleasure. He had to admit, it looked better than he did, but Lois never seemed to mind.

"Hi, honey," Lois said as he used his key to enter her apartment. She was already dressed to go out but was, as usual, not content to sit still for a single second. The tv news station was blaring as she folded laundry on the dining table with her laptop opened beside her and her ever-present cup of coffee was at its post beside it.

"Hi, Lois," Clark said, some of the stress from the meeting melting away as his heart leaped, as it still did, every single time that he caught his first glimpse of Lois after even a few hours' absence.

"Oh, those are beautiful," she said, seeing the flowers in his hand. "Thank you, Clark," she said, getting up to wrap her arms around him in a kiss. "My favorite," she said with pleasure, fingering the edges of a lily.

"Sharp and to the point, just like my girl," Clark smiled, loving the contrast of the more geometric white flowers with the softer, romantic roses. He supposed that he was the old-fashioned rose in the duo, and… honestly, he didn't mind. He was proud of his roots as a Midwesterner, proud of the strong family values that his Ma and Pa had instilled in him, along with an unrelenting devotion to truthfulness and kindness.

And roses weren't pansies. They had thorns, he thought to himself, smiling, as Lois took the bouquet and went to get a vase.

"How did the meeting go?" Lois sighed dismally and Clark felt his gut knot a little bit.

"Pretty well," he said as he moved to the table to finish folding Lois's clothes as she arranged the flowers. "Lex was very forthcoming and cooperative," he said. Lois snorted. "And," Clark added, feeling compelled to not only do Lex justice with a fair assessment of his behavior, but also to defend his friend Wonder Woman, "he really is head over heels in love with Diana."

Lois sighed again. "I don't know, Clark," she murmured. "Lex is so good at deception." And that stung a little bit. Because Clark knew that Lois's ongoing doubts were out of a concern for his own safety, given that Lex had literally tried before - multiple times, in fact - to kill Superman. But… he did wish that Lois would give him some credit, too, and _trust _his observations. And maybe have a little more faith in people.

He knew it wasn't her nature to be trusting, but… still. It hurt, just a little bit. "Lex invited us to dinner tonight, actually," he said conversationally. "With him and Diana, and J'onn and Wally were going, too." Lois raised an eyebrow at him. "I told him we already had plans," Clark said quickly. "But, maybe another time…?" he raised his voice in a question as he trailed off, looking at her hopefully.

Lois frowned. Hard. "You really want me to eat _dinner _with the man who's tried to _kill _you?" she asked with a touch of anger.

"For Diana's sake?" Clark asked her softly. Lois shook her head.

"How Diana can call herself your friend and date _that man_ is beyond me," she said, folding her arms. "I get that she's naive and hasn't had a lot of experience with the games men play, but this? This isn't right, Clark," she said, tapping her foot on the floor. Clark looked at her a little miserably.

"I wish you wouldn't let it affect your friendship so much," he said to her. "She doesn't have a lot of friends, Lois, and she really values you."

"Well, given that she has so few friends, she ought to take better care of them!" Lois exploded in frustration, running her hands through her short hair. "Not date their would-be murderers!" Clark looked away and swallowed uncomfortably. Lois sighed, a little regretfully this time.

"I'm sorry," she said, coming over to him to rub his shoulders from behind. Not that she had anywhere near the strength needed to relieve a single bit of his Kryptonian muscle tension, but Clark enjoyed the feel of her hands on him, anyway. "I know I'm upset about this," she said, "and that Diana is a good friend. To both of us," she added.

Clark nodded, not trusting himself to answer, because the lump of tears in his throat wasn't dissolving. He _hated _it when his friends fought. And he hated fighting with Lois. Weren't friends supposed to support each other and gather closer together in tough times? That's what he'd been taught. You didn't throw someone away just because they made some choices you disagreed with. That's not how family worked.

Lois had always struggled with that concept, though. She was a military brat and her father was a cold, demanding man. Good enough was never good enough for him. It always had to be better, faster, smarter. And Lois was a brilliant woman to begin with. But the way she relentlessly pushed herself, both at work and in her personal life, rarely stopping even to breathe, was her father's legacy.

And Lois was quick to cut people out of her life, too, who disappointed her. Clark supposed that it was because she rarely formed deep connections, and he knew that emotional defect was from the scars of moving every three years as a child, constantly leaving friends behind as her family followed each of her father's new assignments.

"I don't think it's fair to judge without seeing Lex in person for yourself," Clark said finally, turning to face her. "You should at least see him with your own eyes before rendering a verdict. Right, reporter?" he said to her, squeezing her waist a little bit as he teased her gently. "Gather all the evidence and examine the source material?" he said. Lois groaned, wrapping herself around him in a hug and kissing his cheek.

"Why do you have to use my journalistic pride against me?" she muttered, but her words were a little playful even if reluctantly said.

"Because it works," Clark smiled. "And it's the only way I'll win an argument." Lois laughed, turning his cheek so she could kiss him on the lips.

"Only because I'm a Pulitzer Prize winner," she said with a small gleam in her eye when she pulled away.

"Well, naturally," Clark said. "A lesser journalist would fudge on the details," he said, kissing her some more. Lois groaned a little and buried her head in his shoulder afterwards.

"I guess you can tell Diana that we'll have dinner with her and Lex sometime soon," she muttered. Clark rubbed her back.

"Or you could call her and tell her yourself," he suggested gently. Lois groaned even louder.

"Careful, Lois," Clark teased her. "You're starting to sound like Batman." She did laugh at that.

"He doesn't groan," she said, looking back up at him. "He grunts. Like a warthog." Clark busted out laughing and Lois joined him, until he finally picked her up by the waist and spun her around.

"Thank you for easing up a little bit," he said to her when he set her down.

"Only for you, Clark," she sighed, shaking her head. "Only for you. And I am definitely getting dessert with dinner tonight," she said. "Something decadently caloric to make me forget my troubles."

"Whatever you want," Clark said to her, smiling a little more easily now. "And then Clark Kent, sex god, will take extra good care of you, after," he said with more of a grin.

"Oh, now that_ is_ a good promise," Lois smiled, reaching up to kiss him again. "Give everybody at the office something to gossip about tomorrow when they see my big smile in the morning."

"I will take home the blue ribbon," Clark said very seriously, causing Lois to bust out in a short laugh and smack his arm.

"What have I told you about county fair sex analogies?" she asked him, not really _too _exasperated, because it was _Clark _and he was so damn cute in his earnest farmer way.

It was one of the reasons why she loved him so much, she supposed. He was such a peaceful contrast to her own frantically paced life and incessant need for more, more, more, and he didn't even try to get her to slow down most of the time, either, unless she was really running herself ragged. They were a good team, she and Clark, she thought to herself. They balanced each other out.

And she hated to make him look so sad. Maybe even a little tiny bit more than she hated Lex Luthor, but it was very close. Still, she supposed that she could give Lex a chance. _One _chance. Clark was right, she ought to see for herself. And then afterwards, she'd have a stronger argument to persuade him with, she thought with satisfaction. And more tangible reasons that Diana might listen to as Lois tried to steer her back to sanity.

One dinner. It couldn't be that bad, right?

Meanwhile, Diana couldn't have been happier during her evening with Lex, J'onn, and Wally. They had gone to a Chinese restaurant, which neither J'onn nor Diana had tried before, and Wally was helpfully letting them taste dish after dish that he ordered before gobbling his own plates down.

J'onn was quietly pleased to see that Lex was all smiles and apparently sincere charm with him and Wally as they dined. He'd asked them questions about their lives with genuine interest and had gifted them with an even more outrageous description than Diana had of her first roller-coaster experiences. He was… _nice_, actually, J'onn found with surprise, when he wasn't deliberately being an asshole or trying to take over the world. Funny, clever, appreciative of a good joke, and a good listener, too.

"What is it?" Diana asked him during a lull in the conversation when she saw him looking at her and Lex thoughtfully.

"I believe… I _approve _of your boyfriend," he said with a small smile forming on his face. Lex and Diana beamed and Lex reached over to grip J'onn's forearm.

"That means a lot, J'onn. Thank you," he said seriously. "I know how much your friendship means to Diana."

"Yes," J'onn said, with even more warmth in his eyes. "And it is good to see her smiling again," he added.

"I'll say," Wally said, pausing for a second from shoveling food into his mouth. "The Princess hasn't had her sparkle for a long time, now." Lex's eyes looked a little sad at that.

"Oh," Diana said with surprise, before looking down at her hands in a little embarrassment. "I hadn't realized that anyone had noticed," she said softly. The Flash reached over to pat her arm.

"Your friends noticed," he said. "We always notice you, Diana," he added, and her eyes glistened with a few tears as she raised her head back up to meet his eyes.

"Thank you," she murmured with a tiny smile. "And thank you for being so welcoming to Lex. I know it's not easy for the League to accept him," she said honestly.

"It's easy for us," Wally said calmly and J'onn nodded his agreement. "If we don't believe in people's power to change, then what are we even trying to save the world for every day?" Wally asked them.

"I agree," said J'onn. "We are not only fighting monsters. We are fighting for hope and for a better tomorrow than my planet found. Better to prevent wars with love than to stop them after they start," he said. Diana and Lex both smiled their agreement even as Lex leaned forward.

"And let me tell you what fabulous ideas I have for shutting down the world's corporate war machine," he said in a low voice. "Just between friends, of course," he added, meeting their eyes in a questioning glance.

As Wally and J'onn nodded and Lex began to outline some of his plans to revamp LexCorp and disrupt the global weapons economy, Diana felt a peace in her heart that she hadn't felt in a long, long time. Not since Themyscira, in fact, she thought to herself, had she truly felt so right with her world and with herself. She leaned her head on Lex's shoulder as he talked and he put his arm around her so naturally to cuddle her closer that she sighed in contentment.

Her life was looking up, she thought to herself, and what a gift that it was not only because of Lex, but because of her friends J'onn and Wally as well. She could only hope that the rest of the League would come around, too, because she greatly feared the long reach of the shadows that the rest of her newfound family's disapproval could cast.

_At least I'm talking to Bruce tomorrow, _she thought to herself. _That will be one bridge mended. _She hoped.


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13**_

The next morning on the Watchtower, J'onn stopped short as he walked into the monitoring room. Because sitting at the wall of computers was Batman, which was not an unusual sight, as the Caped Crusader often spent time on the base doing research. From the looks of it, he and Shayera were going over the League and Lex's joint plans for the sting operation against the Council of Doom.

What checked J'onn's approach, however, was the fact that Shayera was sitting in Batman's lap with an arm draped around his neck.

J'onn wasn't prone to cursing, but some choice Martian words filled his mind as his felt his spirit collapse again into the soul-crushing weariness that he was growing uncomfortably accustomed to since Diana had started dating Lex Luthor. This must be what parenting felt like, he sighed to himself. A single moment to catch one's breath in relief before another catastrophe struck.

"So…" J'onn said slowly as he walked up to Batman and Shayera. "You two are dating now?" Shayera turned her head to smile at him while Batman's eyes didn't move from the monitors.

"What gave it away?" he muttered with a lot of snark. J'onn sighed.

"You are still talking with Diana this afternoon?" he asked Batman, getting the barest head nod in return. "Does she know…?"

"Know what," Batman grunted as he continued clicking through a roster list, highlighting names that Shayera pointed to on the screen, occasionally curling his lip up at her or tilting his head and getting a few murmured words of explanation back which he responded to with what J'onn surmised were either affirmative or negative grunts, although how Shayera could tell the difference without telepathic skills, J'onn had no idea. She seemed to understand perfectly, though, even laughing a little bit sometimes and smacking his chest occasionally when a particular grunt seemed funny to her.

_Well... _J'onn thought. They seemed well-matched, he had to give them that. But the headaches. Oh, the headaches… he winced just thinking about what his day would bring him.

"Does Diana know that you and Shayera are dating?" J'onn asked Batman more pointedly.

"How should I know?" Batman growled.

"Why does it matter?" Shayera asked J'onn curiously, honestly confused by the question. "She's happy with Lex."

J'onn was an alien, too, but he was a little more savvy about humans and their feelings than his Thanagarian teammate, and he sighed deeply. Even though Diana was not, technically, a human, he suspected that she might find herself with some very human reactions before the day was over.

"She is happy with Lex," J'onn agreed, "but… she may have feelings, regardless, about the two of you dating."

"Not our problem," Bruce said, still focused on the tactical planning. Shayera gave J'onn a reassuring smile.

"I think Diana will be fine, J'onn," she said. "She didn't want to date Bruce anymore. Really," she said.

J'onn was not in the habit of going down to Earth; he spent most of his time exclusively on the Watchtower. But he felt strongly tempted to beam down and spend the day hiding in the cornfields rather than staying on the base to see the carnage unfold when the relational time bombs exploded this afternoon. Because Diana was not the only one who was going to have a problem with Shayera and Bruce dating.

Perhaps… perhaps Clark could come in and relieve him, he thought with some cowardice. He sighed.

"I'll be in my room," he said gloomily. Shayera nodded cheerfully at him as he left.

"Superman here. Is there a problem, J'onn?" Clark's voice responded over the private comm.

"I believe it would be best if you came to the Watchtower as soon as possible," J'onn said slowly, pinching his eyebrows as he sat in his bedroom.

"What's wrong?" Clark persisted.

"Bruce and Shayera are dating," J'onn said.

"Oh, fuck," the Boy Scout of America said in horror.

"Exactly," J'onn muttered.

The lunchroom was fairly full when Shayera and Bruce made their way down to grab some food. They were still deep in conversation about the pros and cons of various strategies and defenses as they stocked their trays and found seats at an empty table.

John glanced over at Shayera a little guiltily when she sat down, thinking about his harsh words to her from the day before, but he quickly focused his eyes back on Vixen, who was sitting across from him, and he gave her an even deeper smile as he listened to her talk about the photo shoot that she'd just booked that morning.

Superman and J'onn slowly came into the room together, J'onn practically dragging his feet even though Superman had assured him that he hadn't heard any screaming matches starting. Yet.

"Clark!" Diana said with pleasure, coming in behind them. "I wasn't expecting to see you here today," she said. "We missed you and Lois last night," she said and J'onn managed to give a small but genuine smile.

"Dinner with Lex was very enjoyable," he said to Superman.

"Good," Clark said. "Lois said she'd call you sometime today, Diana," he said to her which caused her to beam.

"Is she coming around to the idea of me and Lex?" Diana asked hopefully.

"Well…" Clark said hesitantly, not wanting to promise too much. "I'll let her tell you where she's at."

"Ok," Diana said easily as the three friends selected their lunches. She glanced a little uncomfortably across the room at Bruce, who was actually laughing at something that Shayera had said. Which, when Diana thought about it, was a pretty strange sight, to see the Bat laugh.

"I'm a little nervous about talking to Bruce," she said to J'onn and Clark as they sat down together. "But I'm looking forward to clearing the air," she said.

"Yes," J'onn said nervously, wondering why he had bothered to load his tray up with food when he felt too ill to eat. He glanced at Clark who, thankfully, looked far more unperturbed. Clark did have a gift for encouraging people to get along, J'onn mused. Partly because he naturally assumed that everyone would and was so surprised and disappointed when they didn't that the dissenting parties inevitably felt guilty and tended to make up faster under his sad gaze. Yes, he was glad that he had called Clark up to the Watchtower, J'onn decided, listlessly stirring his food around on his plate.

He slowly ate a few bites as Diana and Clark chattered away while easily downing their lunches. Dread filled his stomach as he saw Diana's plate empty and Bruce and Shayera stand. Thankfully, they weren't holding hands or being obvious at the moment, because J'onn could really only take one Justice League emotional crisis at a time. He didn't need three at once.

"Diana," Bruce said as he approached their table. "Would you like to talk?" He sounded almost halfway pleasant, J'onn noted with relief. Well, that was a start, but J'onn knew it couldn't save the afternoon.

"Bruce," Diana said, standing up. "Of course," she said as she smiled at Shayera. J'onn and Clark gave her little encouraging smiles, too, as she glanced back at them for one last bit of support.

"I'll head back up to the monitoring room," Shayera said to Batman, who nodded at her as Diana followed him out of the lunchroom and to an empty conference room where they could talk in private.

"I'm sorry for being an ass," Bruce surprised her by saying first. "And for yelling at you the other night."

"Oh!" Diana said. "Thank you, Bruce," she said slowly, having expected their conversation to be much more difficult. "I appreciate that," she said. Bruce gave her a little nod. And then fell silent. Awkwardness started to stretch.

"Are we going to talk about the rest of it?" Diana finally said. He looked at her. "Us," Diana said with a little embarrassment. "Our feelings. What was going on between us before."

"What do you want to say about it?" Bruce asked her, but to his credit, he didn't sound mean as much as curious. Diana bit her lip.

"I guess it's better to just say it all and get it out," she said, almost to herself, but Bruce nodded, so she went on. "You really hurt me, Bruce," she said, bravely meeting his eyes. "Again and again," she said. "The way you admitted you had feelings for me and kept pushing me away. But then kept reeling me back in." Bruce frowned.

"I never reeled you back in," he said. "I was upfront with you about everything. How I felt _and _that I didn't want to date."

"But why didn't you want to date me?" Diana said in frustration, some tears starting to form against her will. Because really, despite having Lex now, Bruce's rejection hurt. Badly. And had hurt her for a long time.

"We loved each other, Bruce!" Diana said. "Why wasn't that something you wanted to pursue? The real reason," she said, with a frown. "Not the fake, you're too busy with the League reason you gave me before." Bruce sighed.

"You wanted too much," he muttered. Diana's jaw dropped.

"_I _wanted too much?" she said in shocked outrage. "I only wanted you! To date you!"

"No!" Bruce snapped at her in frustration. "You wanted me to cheer up! To be something I'm not! I'm not cheerful, Diana," he said to her angrily. "I'm the Dark Knight because I like the dark. I'm not all bright and sunny like you," he glowered at her. Diana stared at him, stunned, sobs starting to fill her chest even though she was making a valiant effort to hold them in.

"I never said I wanted that," she whispered. "How could you... " she blinked away some tears. "How could you not tell me that's how you felt?" she asked him, trying to hold her face still so that it wouldn't crumble.

"I don't know," Bruce muttered. "I didn't know how to put it into words," he mumbled. "It was just a feeling." Diana shook her head back and forth with her hand on her mouth.

"You can't deny it, though," he said suddenly with accusation. "You know I'm right," he challenged her. Diana inhaled sharply, defensive words ready to spill out, but she tried to get ahold of herself and think, despite the pain of Bruce's harsh words. She owed him the truth, too. She took a few deep breaths as she considered.

"I wanted you to be happy," she said finally. "I thought I could make you happy. That we could make each other happy," she said raggedly.

"I'm not something broken that needs to be fixed," Bruce said to her, trying to speak with a little more patience.

"But you're miserable!" Diana said to him. "It consumes you, Bruce!" she said. "Everytime I tried to back away, I'd see how badly you were hurting, and I couldn't just leave you like that!" she said. "We could have been so happy together," she insisted. "Love makes people happy."

"People who are right for each other," Bruce said to her, giving her an odd look. "I'm sorry you couldn't let me go, Diana," he said to her slowly, "but that's not my fault. I wasn't asking for more and I told you I couldn't give you what you wanted," he said.

She pressed her lips together tightly, tears starting to fill her eyes. Because Bruce couldn't be right, could he? It wasn't _her _fault that she'd been stuck in this perpetual cycle of misery for so long… was it?

"I never tried to lead you on," he insisted. "I didn't even talk to you at the charity ball," he pointed out and Diana had to hide a gasp because… Bruce ignoring her had been Bruce trying to hammer the point home that he didn't want her? He'd never wanted her? He _had _told her that, but… well… Diana didn't think that he'd really meant it except temporarily. How could you not want someone you loved so much?

And she'd loved him. Hera, how she'd loved him! And… well… they'd still spent time together, of course. Being founding members of the League. Sometimes even just the two of them, when assignments worked out that way. But aside from that - had Bruce really been trying to keep her in the friendzone? Diana shuddered as some sobs finally did start to break out. Bruce sighed, looking miserable.

"But you loved me," Diana managed to get out, trying to understand, to _really _understand.

"Yes, I loved you," Bruce said. "I couldn't help loving you, Diana," he said, reaching out to gently rub her arm. "But I couldn't be with you. It never felt right. I was hoping that one day it would," he said regretfully. "But I never wanted to hurt you. And I know you didn't mean to hurt me," he added, feeling the need to remind her that she wasn't the only one who'd been wounded by their strange dynamic, even if he excused her for it.

Diana sniffed and started to cry harder. Bruce groaned a little bit. _What would Shayera do? _he asked himself.

"Do you… want a hug?" he muttered, holding his arms out. Diana's breath caught for a minute in surprise but then she wrapped herself around his chest and let the tears come out as he held her in a surprisingly tender embrace, even rubbing the back of her head as she cried. He sighed when she began to quiet down.

"You're happy with Lex," he said, not so much a question as a statement of reassurance.

"Yes," Diana mumbled, feeling oddly guilty to admit to the man that she'd loved so dearly for so long that she was, in fact, head over heels in love with someone else. Who she loved more, when it came down to it, even though she couldn't honestly say that she'd stopped loving Bruce.

"You're happier with him than you ever would have been with me," he said quietly, pulling her head back gently to meet his eyes. Diana sighed and nodded, because it was true, even if it hurt like Hades to say so.

Lex made her laugh and feel cherished and adored and like she was the most desirable woman in the universe. And he was cultured and suave and genteel and smart and witty and… honestly, a much better match for her than her darkly brooding Dark Knight who hated almost everyone and everything.

"And I found the right person, too," Bruce said to her as he let her go. "So everything worked out the right way for both of us," he said. Diana froze and frowned.

"_You _found the right person?" she said in confusion. "Since when? Who?"

"Shayera," Bruce said, tactfully not answering the when. Diana's jaw dropped and she took a step back.

"Shayera," she breathed. "You and Shayera are dating?" she asked him in stunned hurt. "Since when?" she demanded again, more sharply. Bruce hesitated, trying to gauge the importance of his answer.

"Since last night," he shrugged. "We've been spending more time together lately," he said.

"But she -" Diana started to say.

"What?" Bruce asked her. He looked at her. "This isn't going to be another big problem, is it?" he said with a little bit of exasperation.

"She supported me when I told her how much you hurt me!" Diana snapped. "She was being my friend. _My _friend!" she said, getting angrier. "And then she starts dating you behind my back?"

"Since last night is hardly behind your back," Bruce pointed out. "And she's friends with both of us."

"I can't believe this," Diana muttered, turning away from him and crossing her arms over her chest. "And to think I almost started trusting her again. Some kind of fool I was," she growled.

"Diana, please," Bruce said with some worry, "Shy didn't mean to hurt you," he said. "This didn't have anything to do with you."

"Oh, it's _Shy _now?" Diana snapped. "And of course you'd defend her," she said with heat.

"So, what?" Bruce said, starting to get angry. "You can date Lex, but I can't date Shayera?"

"Lex wasn't your friend!" Diana yelled.

"No!" Bruce snapped. "He was my enemy! The Justice League's enemy! You're honestly going to judge me for dating a member of the League when you're dating Lex fucking Luthor?"

Diana glared at him as Bruce glared right back.

"I'm going to talk to Shayera," Diana finally snapped, whirling and leaving the room.

"What the fuck," Bruce muttered, rubbing his head. "What the fuck. This is not my fault," he said out loud to the empty room. "Clark, if you're listening, I made up with her!" he said louder. "I can't help it if she's crazy!"

Clark and J'onn were not in fact eavesdropping, but when Clark heard his name he perked his ears up.

"Diana is on the warpath," he groaned to J'onn. "But Bruce says he made up with her first."

"Do you want Diana or John?" J'onn sighed.

"I had John last time," Clark pointed out.

"Very well," J'onn muttered as they both got up from their lunch table. J'onn slowly walked over to John and Vixen like he was facing the executioner while Clark began to briskly make his way down to the monitoring room where he expected that Shayera was innocently doing her actual Justice League job with no idea that she was about to be the victim of an incoming Amazon attack.

"May I join you?" J'onn asked the Green Lantern and Vixen politely.

"Of course, J'onn!" Vixen said with a big smile as John nodded, too.

"Something on your mind, J'onn?" the Green Lantern asked him, though, suspicious of J'onn's motives for suddenly joining them. Especially without a lunch tray in his hands. J'onn opened his mouth and was about to speak when Diana came storming into the commissary, marching straight over to their table.

"Did you know that Shayera and Batman are dating?" she asked John, slamming her hands down on the table and all but ignoring Vixen and J'onn. John's jaw dropped.

"That's wonderful news!" Vixen said warmly, a huge smile stretching across her face from ear to ear. "Isn't it?" she asked everybody around the table, pretending that they'd all agree with her.

"_Batman _is dating _Shayera?_" John repeated in disbelief, angry tension starting to make its way onto his face.

"He's in Conference Room A," Diana snarled as she turned to stomp off and hunt down a Thanagarian.

"John? Sweetie? Is there a problem?" Vixen asked him in a deceptively honeyed voice as she gently reached out to hold his balled up fist. He glanced down at her with a start. She fluttered her eyelashes up at him deliberately. "You're not jealous, are you, boo?" she asked him.

"No!" John spluttered. "No," he growled. "I just - you don't date your friends' exes!" he snarled. "That's basic bro code. I need to talk to Batman," he muttered, tugging his hand away and stalking out of the room.

"Excuse me," J'onn sighed, standing to follow him. Vixen was left at the table alone, chewing her lip.

"Well," she muttered to no one. "I think this is fantastic," she said with a little smile, pulling out her compact to reapply her lipstick. "Best news ever," she murmured, puckering her lips up to give herself a little air kiss in the mirror.


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14**_

"Bruce," Lex answered the phone. "Always a pleasure to hear from you," he said charmingly. "How can I be of assistance?"

"You need to fix your woman," Bruce growled.

"What's wrong?" Lex said immediately in a tense voice. "Is she hurt?"

"I made up with her," Bruce said in exasperation, "and then she lost her mind because I'm dating Shayera."

"Oh," Lex said slowly. "She's jealous?" he asked hesitantly.

"No," Bruce growled. "It's some female thing. She thinks Shy betrayed her somehow."

"Oh," Lex said with a little more understanding than Bruce was demonstrating.

"Look, I did my part," Bruce growled. "So you need to fix this. Shy doesn't need this shit."

"I'll see what I can do," Lex said cautiously. "I am touched that you thought to call _me_, Bruce," he added with a little more humor in his voice.

"You're the damn genius," Bruce grumbled. "Figure it out."

He hung up the phone just as John stormed into the room.

"Batman, what the hell?" John yelled in an accusatory voice. "You're dating Shayera?" Bruce stared at him.

"What the fuck is going on today?" Batman asked the Universe in frustrated confusion after a brief pause of disbelief. He looked at John warily.

"I trusted you!" John yelled at him, getting up in his face. "You were the one person on this team I knew I could count on. And now you're dating my girl?"

"Your ex," Bruce pointed out sharply. "Pretty sure Vixen's your girl."

"You know that's not the point!" John snapped.

"I really don't," Bruce said tersely. "What's the problem? Shy said you told her it was definitely over." John stared at him for a moment like he'd been slapped.

"I was angry!" he said when he found his voice. "We were having a fight."

"And yet," Bruce said, with a lot more snark and accusation in his voice, "you're still dating Vixen. Explain to me how much you want to be with Shy?"

"Well, not at the moment!" John spluttered.

"Uh huh," Batman growled at him.

"Things might not work out between me and Vixen," John protested. Batman just glared at him.

"So Shayera's not allowed to move on?" he asked in a dangerously low tone.

"Not with you," John snapped. "You're my friend."

"What is the hang up with being friends?" Bruce exploded in frustration. "First Diana and now you. If you're our friends, you shouldn't care. Especially since you're both dating other people."

"It's the basic bro code," John yelled at him. "You don't date your friends' exes." Batman just stared at him.

"Last time I checked," he said pointedly, "there weren't that many superheroes to go around. So pretty sure you can't call dibs on everyone you reject."

"I didn't reject her!" John yelled again.

"Yeah," Bruce said, getting up in his face, "you did. So deal with it," he snarled, whirling around John to stomp out of the room, his cape flaring behind him.

He almost hit J'onn as he stormed out, who was about to enter.

"Oh! Batman," J'onn said, quickly fading to translucent to avoid being trampled. "Is the Green Lantern... ?"

Batman jerked his thumb angrily towards the room he had just exited. J'onn sighed.

"I'll talk to him," he muttered, but Batman was already gone.

"John," the Martian Manhunter said in a tone of weary patience as he entered the room and saw the Green Lantern looking practically murderous.

"Can you believe this shit?" John yelled at him in frustration.

"No," J'onn said, pinching his eyebrows. "I really cannot." That response actually seemed to subdue John a little bit, who began pacing the room as he rubbed his head occasionally and tried to make sense out of his fight with Batman.

"I trusted him," John said venomously after a minute of silence.

"And how has he broken that trust?" J'onn asked, even though he understood why John was upset, whether he agreed with the logic of it or not. But perhaps talking about his feelings would do John some good, J'onn theorized. John gave him an angry look, however, as if J'onn was accusing him of being the one in the wrong.

"Please," J'onn said patiently, raising his hands up in appeal. "I am Martian. I want to be sure I am understanding the nuances of the situation. Perhaps we could sit and you could explain…?" he asked John. John sighed but he took a reluctant seat at the conference table with J'onn.

"Batman broke the code," he said to J'onn. "You don't date your friends' exes."

"I see…" J'onn said slowly. "This is a well-understood human social construct?"

"Uh, sure," John said, giving him a look. "Everyone knows. It's the Rule."

"Perhaps Batman is unaware of this rule," J'onn said. "He is, as he himself says, not a people person." John frowned but didn't say anything.

"Explain to me why this rule exists," J'onn persisted. "I do not understand the reasoning behind it. If you yourself have moved on, why should your friend not be with your former lover? If they were abusive or otherwise harmful to your well-being I could understand the concern. But Shayera, as I see it, was neither of those things."

"She betrayed me," John pouted. "That was harmful."

"Yes," J'onn said slowly, "but we forgave her for that. You yourself did not want her ejected from the League, even though you recused yourself from the vote."

"She had a fiancé, too," John pointed out.

"I still fail to see the logic of why Batman should not be with her," J'onn said. "She had a fiancé, yes, which was deceptive and hurt you. But she is clearly not dating anyone else now." John began to grumble under his breath.

"John, please," J'onn said reaching out to him. "We cannot have these fractures in the League."

"Why is it always _my _fault?" John exploded at him. "I'm not allowed to be hurt that my friend stabbed me in the back?"

"I do not believe that Batman's intention was to betray you," J'onn pointed out rationally. "He is not that socially adept," he added with a small quirk to his lips.

"No shit," John glowered. "But that doesn't mean he should have done it."

"Yet he _has _done it," J'onn said. "And now we must deal with it. How can I assist you in doing so?"

"You can't," John snapped, getting up from the table. As J'onn looked after him with a troubled gaze, John sighed. "I just - I need some time," he muttered. J'onn nodded.

"You are not on duty again for several days," he said. "I would suggest remaining on Earth in the meantime."

"Yeah," John grunted, heading out the door.

In the monitoring room, Shayera was calmly going over the roster list that she and Batman had been hammering out all morning as they tried to decide who would be best for the internal assault on the Legion of Doom, who best on the perimeter, and who on the secret perimeter that not even Lex and Diana would know about. Not that Shayera didn't trust Diana, but she could be compromised. Telepaths existed, after all. She barely looked up from her work as Clark entered the room.

"Shayera," Clark said to her, sitting down next to her.

"Hi, Clark," she said cheerfully. "Batman and I have been working out our tactical teams -"

"That's great," Clark interrupted her. "Diana is on her way down here to have it out with you about dating Batman."

"What?" Shayera said, looking startled. "Why is she upset? She's with Lex!" Clark sighed.

"I'm sure she'll explain it to you," he said to her. "Just… try not to escalate the situation, ok?"

"Why would I escalate?" Shayera said in confusion. "I don't even understand why she's angry at me -"

"You don't understand?" Diana snapped as she barged into the monitoring room. "Well, let me enlighten you."

"Diana," Clark said, standing up, "Shayera. Let's take this to a private room."

"Fine," Shayera said, looking troubled as she followed Clark and a steaming Diana to the empty Council Hall.

"Diana," Shayera said pleadingly as the door shut behind her, "I thought you were happy with Lex."

"I _am _happy with Lex," Diana said. "That has nothing to do with this."

"It doesn't?" Shayera said, looking even more clueless.

"You were my friend, Shayera," Diana said to her angrily. "I trusted you. I told you how badly Bruce had hurt me. And then you turn around and date him?"

"You hurt him, too," Shayera said slowly. "And I'm friends with both of you. I didn't tell him what you told me," Shayera said suddenly, thinking she had the problem figured out. "I kept what you said in confidence, Diana."

"That's not the point!" Diana yelled. Shayera stared at her and slowly crossed her arms.

"Then I'm missing the point," she said, raising an eyebrow. "You're happy with Lex and I didn't share your secrets with Bruce. So what's the problem?"

Diana made a frustrated noise and glared at Clark.

"Explain it to her," she ordered him. Clark shook his head.

"Diana, I get that you might be jealous -"

"I'm not jealous!" she shouted.

"Or hurt," Clark said, "but Shayera and Bruce weren't trying to hurt you by starting a relationship with each other. You have Lex and they found each other."

"Men!" Diana growled. "Hera!" She glared at Clark and then back at Shayera as she muttered several choice curses under her breath, invoking several deities and not a few profanities before getting ready to storm out of the room.

"Diana!" Clark said sharply. "We need to work this out. For the good of the League."

"Tell that to the traitors!" she snapped as she left in a whirlwind of fury. Shayera bit her lip as she and Clark looked at each other.

"It's not your fault," Clark said to her. "Not really," he amended. "Emotions around dating can be… complicated… on Earth."

"I'll say," Shayera muttered, looking sad and troubled less than angry now that Diana had left the room. "Bruce and I weren't trying to stir things up, Clark," she said softly. "All we did is realize how right we are for each other."

"I know," Clark said comfortingly. "And honestly, I'm really happy for Bruce that he found someone to love. It's been a long time coming for him. Even though it's kind of a mess right now with Diana and John."

"Oh, no," Shayera said. "John, too?"

"John, too," Batman confirmed with a glower as he came into the room.

"I guess John doesn't surprise me so much," Shayera admitted. "He's jealous, I guess."

"He says I betrayed him," Bruce corrected and Shayera's mouth opened.

"What the fuck?" she said. "What is up with all this betrayal bullshit? Jealousy, I can understand. But betrayal? I'm beginning to think that humans don't understand the meaning of the word."

"Right?" Bruce growled. Clark sighed.

"J'onn and I will talk to them," he said. "Some more," he added dismally as he left the room.

As soon as he was gone, Batman pulled Shayera into a tender hug.

"Are you ok?" he asked her, looking into her eyes with some concern. "I'm sorry Diana came after you. I know things had been going better with her."

"Yeah," Shayera said a little glumly as she held onto his waist. "Well, the truce was nice while it lasted," she sighed.

"I called Lex and told him to get her sane again," Bruce said to her, bending down to give her a kiss.

"You called Lex?" Shayera said in surprise.

"Yeah," Batman grunted. "I don't want Diana fighting with you. She's your friend."

"So you called Lex for _me_?" Shayera clarified, a pleased smile lighting her face up. A tiny smile curled up at the edges of Batman's mouth.

"You're my girl," he rumbled. "I made the sacrifice." Shayera's eyes melted with emotion as she pulled him into a deeper kiss, which Bruce enjoyed for a minute before breaking it off in sudden hesitation.

"What's wrong?" Shayera said with concern. Bruce's stomach knotted up as he looked down at her. He didn't want to tell her what John had said but ... he didn't want to hide it from her, either. She deserved to know.

"John told me he didn't really reject you," Batman muttered miserably. "He said he might want you back if things don't work out with Vixen."

"That asshole!" Shayera said with venom. Bruce swallowed.

"So, you regret -" he said slowly.

"No!" Shayera said in shock, realizing what he was thinking. "No, Bruce," she said, reaching up to give him another kiss. "He did us a favor," she said with a smile, slipping her hands out from around his back so she could cup his face.

"I love _you_," she said, meeting his troubled eyes with her warm ones as her thumb stroked his cheek under his cowl. "And I like you better, too, remember?" she said to him with an intimate look, getting the tiniest of smiles back from a nervous Bruce. "And, you're my best friend who I should have been with all along. Ok?" she asked him gently, pressing little kisses to his jaw.

"You're sure?" he muttered as she kissed along his stubbled face.

"I'm sure," she said, meeting his eyes with no doubts. "The Gotham Gargoyle belongs to the Big Grumpy Bat," she smiled up at him until he slowly relaxed. "For always," she said, and finally Bruce let go of his last bits of tension and bent down to kiss her back with relief, tugging her tightly into his body with a grip that said that he needed her more than he was able to manage to convey with his words.

"And John?" he couldn't help asking her, though, when they finally let go of each other. Shayera grinned.

"He's an asshole," she said, "for dating someone else in the first place if he wanted to be with me. And for thinking I'd wait around forever to see if it worked out for them. But I'm glad," she said to Bruce, kissing him again softly, "because I'm happier with you. And we wouldn't have gotten together unless he'd been such an asshole."

"So you're saying we should send him a thank you note?" Batman asked her with a wicked smirk. Shy's eyes lit up.

"Yesss," she said with an evil grin. "We totally should."

John's simmering rage only got worse when he made it home to his tiny New York City apartment later that night and checked his mail. Because stuffed in among the bills and junk mail was a handmade card.

"Dear John," it said on the front in crayon. He raised an eyebrow as he opened it.

"Thanks for being an asshole!" it said on the inside. "Love, Bats and Shy." John cursed as he crumpled it up in his hand and threw it across the room.

He felt tears welling up as his chest tightened. Is this what he got for trying to do the right thing? For sticking by Mari? For being a good friend to Batman? For looking out for the League?

Dammit, he didn't deserve this. He sniffed and impatiently shook his tears away, but as he sat down wearily at his vintage dinette, John realized that he had absolutely no one to call for support.

He couldn't very well call Mari and complain to her about his complicated feelings towards Shayera. And Clark and J'onn were clearly fed up with the lot of their dating Founders. Hell, J'onn had already lectured him once today and Clark had scolded him a few days ago. What could he do, anyway, call them to tattle on Batman and Shayera?

Batman was his closest friend in the League. John constantly felt frustrated at being the only one of the Founders with military training, except for Shayera - which was a big part of the attraction to Shayera in the first place for him. Sure, they were all superheroes, but being in the military gave John a lot more knowledge about security, discipline, order, logistics, teamwork - knowledge that others on the team often lacked as they haphazardly went around trying to solve problems their own way independent of each other in the early days before the League - and in the early days _of _the League, too.

Batman, though, was practically military grade himself with his personal dedication to training and his innate understanding of tactics and strategy, and John found it much easier to get along with him because Batman understood the importance of not relying on powers instead of plans.

So John didn't want to admit how much it hurt to not only see him dating Shayera but to get their mocking card. An empty sigh rattled through John's chest as he considered his other friends.

The rest of the Lantern Corps wasn't that fond of him to begin with thanks to his commitments to Earth and the Justice League, not to mention that John preferred to keep his emotions, thank you very much, instead of eliminating them as the rest of the Lantern Corps strove to do.

His old Marine buddies - well, half of them had died in action over the years as many of them had stayed in the service. And the others, some were still on active duty and the rest, he didn't know how to show up talking about some interpersonal bullshit when some of them were dealing with so much worse, from PTSD to divorces.

It was hard to admit to being weak, anyway. To anyone. Feeling so vulnerable was an unusual feeling for John and one that he didn't know how to handle. Hell, he'd handled it after Shayera's betrayal by getting with Mari, so he wouldn't have to feel so alone and broken and sad. But this wasn't something that he felt right about bringing to her.

John stood up with a grunt and changed himself into jeans and a t-shirt with a leather jacket over. Adding a cap and dark shades to complete the disguise, he walked out of his apartment and hailed a cab down to a bar a good enough distance from home that he might not be recognized.

Throwing himself onto the beat-up stool with a world weary sigh, John ordered a Jack and Coke. "Make it a double," he told the bartender, who eyed him sympathetically.

"Lady troubles?" he asked John.

"You don't know the half of it," the Green Lantern muttered.

As the evening wore on and John continued to drink alone, slumping ever more pathetically on the scratched wooden counter as time passed, he was completely unaware that someone in a dim back booth of the bar was watching him intently. Except for a dazzling purple jewel in her silver barrette, she was mostly unremarkable although sexily dressed for her date.

When her companion for the evening went to the restroom, the woman picked up her phone and dialed a contact.

"What do you have for me?" a deep voice asked without preamble.

"You'll never guess who's drinking alone at the bar I'm at," Star Sapphire murmured.

"I'm not in the habit of guessing for information that I pay well for," her employer snapped. "And my time is money."

"Fine, it's the Green Lantern," Star Sapphire grumbled, annoyed. "He's getting good and sloshed and none of his little friends are here to hold his hand."

"Oh, that's excellent news..." the villainous voice practically purred. "Here's what I want you to do..."


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15**_

The tears that Diana had been bravely holding back started to flow as soon as she beamed down to the remote cornfield where the Watchtower employees regularly transported to and from work. She wiped them in frustration with the back of her hand as she looked around. She was alone for the moment, but she didn't want to get caught crying by any random employee who might show up.

With a sigh, she took off overhead and flew a little farther into the fields before landing among some tall rows of corn and sinking to the ground where she wouldn't be seen by anyone limited by two feet and gravity. With a sob, Diana pulled her knees up to her chest and laid her head down on her arms, beginning to cry at full throttle, with all of the hurt and anguish of the last eighteen months of uncertainty and hope and heartbreak over Bruce rushing out of her in another torrent of tears.

The jagged edges of her heart's broken pieces felt sharp enough to pierce through her breastbone and even to puncture her Amazonian armor as pain ripped through her chest and sobs clogged her throat.

"Why wasn't I enough for you, Bruce?" Diana screamed to the crows circling overhead. "And why was she? Wally always says that me and Shayera aren't even that different," Diana cried to the silent ears of corn. "How could you pick her and not me?" Diana whimpered, feeling as though Bruce had punched her in the gut with the strength of Superman.

She loved Lex, she did. She had meant it when she'd asked to marry him. No one made her happier. But Bruce - oh, Bruce was different. Bruce tugged at her soul in ways that made Diana obsessed and anxious and filled with a desperate need for him to let her in. No matter how badly she'd wanted to, Diana hadn't ever been able to stop reaching for him and hoping and longing that one day Batman might reach back.

So for him to reach out with no warning to her friend Shayera who hadn't even been pining after him? Not to mention the fact that Shayera had supposedly been supporting Diana through her grief over Bruce.

The rejection and betrayal pierced Diana like twin swords, but even worse were the boulders of guilt crushing her conscience, because Diana had thought that she had really moved on and let go of Bruce over this last delicious week with Lex. But if she had, then why was she crying so much right now and why did her heart feel like it was bleeding out of her chest?

Diana felt confused and she rarely felt anything but clear-minded. A sudden inspiration came to her as she sniffed and sobbed and she pulled her phone out of her bra.

"Lois?" Diana asked shakily when her friend answered.

"Diana?" Lois said in concern. "What's wrong? Are you crying?"

"Yes," Diana rasped. "Everything's terrible and I'm so confused and I don't know what I feel, or why…" she trailed off as some more sobs burst out of her mouth.

"What happened?" Lois said gently, getting up from her desk at The Daily Planet to go up to the roof for some privacy.

And even if she was secretly hoping that Lex had just broken Diana's heart, it was only because she doubted his capacity for reform and would rather see him break things off with Diana sooner rather than hurt her worse later when his inevitable villainy was revealed. But Lois still hated for her friend to be sad, even if it was for a good reason, so she made an effort to up her level of compassion from mild concern to moderately caring.

"Bruce is dating Shayera," Diana said, though, and Lois flat-out gasped as she climbed the stairs.

"No!" she said in horror. "But, he - you and him - for so long -" she sputtered.

"I know," Diana moaned. "I don't understand it, Lois," she sniffed. "Bruce said Shayera was right for him. And that I wasn't. Why wasn't I?" Diana sobbed.

"Did he tell you why?" Lois frowned, going into reporter mode and trying to tease the story out of a reluctant witness. Diana sniffed suspiciously. _Aha, _Lois thought triumphantly.

"He said that I wanted too much from him," Diana said in unhappy confusion. "That I wanted him to be happy and that he wasn't a happy person and didn't want to be. Not that he ever told me even once that I was doing something wrong!" she said in frustration.

"I don't understand it, Lois. Who doesn't want to be happy? And now he claims to be happy with Shayera, so how is that any different from what I wanted to give him?" Diana broke down in tears again while Lois thought over what she'd said and mulled over what she knew about Shayera.

"Shayera's more of an asshole," Lois finally said. "I mean, not to tear her down," she said as Diana managed to give a faint but appreciative chuckle at Lois's candid assessment of the Thanagarian. "But, she definitely comes off as an asshole to the press all the time. And you always seem sweet and kind and noble, even if you're angry about something."

"I'm pretty sure Clark and J'onn would disagree with you on that today," Diana muttered, wiping her eyes some more on her arm and wishing she had a tissue.

"Ew, am I gonna have a grumpy Clark tonight?" Lois said with apprehension. Diana huffed.

"Things with Bruce kind of went a little badly here, Lois. I'm sorry."

"Right, sorry," Lois said quickly. "I get it, you had a bad day. Back to you. Where was I?"

"Shayera is an asshole…?" Diana prompted her, enjoying saying the words much more than she probably should.

"Yes," Lois said. "She is. When you're mad, you're usually blazing with righteous fury. Today being the exception to the rule," Lois said with a tiny but sympathetic smile, even though her friend couldn't see it. "But when Shayera is mad, she's pissed. And half of the time, she's mad in the first place from a bad attitude. Not over anything serious."

"So how does that make me feel better?" Diana asked her. "Yay me for being the superior person. Bruce picked the asshole."

"Well," Lois said slowly, her drive for honesty pushing her to speak even though she knew that Diana wasn't going to like hearing it, "Bruce is usually an asshole, too. So, maybe him and Shayera are actually a better fit than you and him, Diana," she said apologetically. Diana's end of the line fell silent.

"I'm sorry," Lois said miserably. "I know that really sucks to hear. But you've always been out of Bruce's league and maybe he's right, maybe you guys are just too different to be good together." Lois had to strain her ears to hear it, but she managed to make out the quietest little whimper from Diana.

"Then why can't I let him go?" Diana asked softly. "Why am I so obsessed with him, Lois? Even when he told me ages ago that he didn't want to date, I couldn't stop hoping for it. And I thought that I had let him go since dating Lex this week, but to hear that he's dating Shayera… I'm hooked right back in," Diana said miserably. Lois took a deep breath, because she did not want to give the advice that was about to come out of her mouth.

"Honestly, Diana, you sound like you're addicted to the angst," she said reluctantly.

"You think?" Diana said in shock.

"I wouldn't stay so tied to someone who didn't want me," Lois said. "That's for damn sure, Diana. A lot of women wouldn't. So, why are you?"

"Well, I loved him," Diana said.

"Why?" Lois said. "What possibly felt good about that situation? Did he ever make you happy?"

"No," Diana said. "He made me sad. And hurt."

"Uh huh," Lois said. "So why did you love him? What did he do for you that made you so attached?"

"Well… it was nothing he did," Diana said hesitantly. "It was more who he was. I wanted to make him happy. Because he was so sad. And I admired him. And enjoyed spending time with him on missions. He's a great warrior and his mind is so clever and he was so needy and miserable…"

"Yeah, you wanted to fix him," Lois said bluntly. "That's not love, that's codependence, Diana. And hero worship? Also not love. Not the kind that can sustain a romantic relationship, my friend." Diana's breathing got heavier. Lois cursed mentally and gritted her teeth before speaking again.

"What you feel for Lex is different, isn't it," she muttered unwillingly.

"Yes…" Diana said slowly, thinking of her man and feeling a smile automatically start to bloom on her face as her spirits began to lift.

"Tell me why he's different," Lois sighed, pinching her eyebrows, barely able to believe that she was willingly guiding Diana through why she loved Lex and not Bruce.

"Well, Lex makes me happy," Diana said softly.

"Why?" Lois Lane relentlessly asked her prey. Diana barely even had to think about it.

"Because he cares about making me happy," she said. "He goes out of his way to do nice things for me. And he makes me laugh all the time, Lois. And he's nice to my friends. And nice to me. And protective of me, but in a sweet way, not a demeaning way. Like he always wants me to text him when I get back to the Watchtower so he knows I've gotten home safely. And his whole face lights up when he sees me and he texts me first thing every morning and…" Diana trailed off, getting the point.

"Oh," she said quietly.

"Yeah," Lois muttered. "Oh." She rubbed her head as she felt a migraine start. _Clark better give me two thousand million brownie points for this, _she mentally grumbled, deciding that he would be getting a long venting phone call right after she hung up with Diana that would hopefully prompt him to give her some extra pampering tonight.

"Look, I was going to call you anyway today, Diana," Lois said with a sigh, fishing around in her purse for an Imitrex and some Advil. "I talked to Clark and we'll have dinner with you and Lex, ok? I'll… give him a chance," she ground out even though she kicked the wall in frustration as she said it.

"Oh, Lois, that means so much to me," Diana was saying as Lois silently growled. "And you helping me sort my feelings out, too. You are such a good friend to me," Diana said, and Lois groaned a little bit because Diana's voice was wavering a little bit with emotion as she said it and it made Lois feel bad for still wishing that Lex would fuck off.

"Just, promise me that Lex won't try to kill Clark anymore," is what she said, though, with a long-suffering sigh as she popped her pills into her mouth and swallowed them with a sip of her ever-present coffee that she'd brought up to the roof with her.

"Lex is done killing people," Diana said immediately. "He feels bad about that. Well, because I don't like it is maybe mostly why he feels bad," she admitted, feeling compelled to be completely honest, "but he does feels bad and that's good, right, no matter why he feels that way? Anyway, he feels especially bad over Clark because you're my friend and it's made things hard between us," she said.

"So he really wants to work things out with you, Lois," Diana said. "He gets why you hate him. It would make me so happy, though, if you and Clark can be friends with me and Lex both and not just me," Diana said with longing.

"Well, let's not go wishing for the moon, Diana," Lois said dryly. "I'll come to one dinner and see what happens. Ok?"

"Ok," Diana said happily. "Thank you, Lois," she said again with feeling, and Lois made a face to the pigeons on the roof at hearing the tears of gratitude in Diana's voice.

"Yeah, yeah, ok. You're welcome," she said briskly, starting to feel uncomfortable.

Aside from the obvious reason of Clark's fuddy-duddyness next to Lois's sharp career-ascending fabulosity, people were often surprised that Lois was with Clark because she was so cold and emotionally repressed while he wore his heart on his sleeve. But underneath Clark's caring nature, he was a true midwesterner with a stiff upper lip mentality. He was sentimental, sure, and tender-hearted, but he always kept it together in a neat little package of discipline and control that was appropriately restrained and never spewed out excessively or unexpectedly.

So Lois could handle being around him better than around most people. Hell, she even sometimes found herself able to feel a little more deeply than she otherwise would have thanks to Clark's gently regulated feelings that simmered quietly in the background of their lives instead of bubbling over onto the metaphorical stove. In fact, Lois knew without a doubt that it was the subtle influence of Clark's barely-there breakdown into grief during their fight last night that was giving her the ability to be a shade more patient and open towards Diana today.

She loved her Clark, Lois thought to herself, smiling a tiny bit as she reveled in the knowledge of how proud he was going to be of her for being so kind to Diana. God, she did love making him happy and she'd been regretting last night's sharp words all day, knowing how much they'd hurt Clark. She could be so prickly, Lois knew; but Clark loved her anyway. It was a constant source of amazement to Lois that someone so sweet could love someone as hard and angular as she was, but he did, and Lois didn't want to take it for granted.

So, she was trying today. For him. And yeah, she did love Diana, too, even if Lois shied away from the L-word as much as possible. Diana was one of the few people who Lois could truly call a friend, so even if she offered her support begrudgingly, because it was Lex Fucking Luthor, Lois did still want to help her friend when she was sad. But preferably without getting rained on afterwards with a shitstorm of weepy, grateful emotions.

"Would you and Clark be able to have dinner with us tonight?" Diana was asking her. "I'm down on Earth, I thought I'd fly over to Metropolis and see Lex for awhile and we could eat with you later."

"Ok," Lois said, figuring she might as well get it over with. "I'll check with Clark, though, and make sure he's up to it. J'onn called him up to the Watchtower earlier. I guess that was to deal with you, huh," she said.

"And John," Diana protested.

"Uh huh," Lois said, not impressed. "Let's eat in, though, ok? Instead of going out? I know I'm the press, too, but I don't need reporters listening in on our awkward dinner conversation."

"That's fine," Diana said. "You can come up to Lex's penthouse and we'll order in from somewhere."

"Ok," Lois said. "We'll probably see you tonight then. And Diana?" she said.

"Yes?" Diana answered her.

"Be careful how you talk to Lex about Bruce," Lois said. "Men have fragile egos."

"He's Lex Luthor," Diana said. "I don't think fragile and ego belong in the same sentence for him."

"He's a super villain who knows damn well that he doesn't deserve to be dating Wonder Woman," Lois said. "Trust me, he's fragile. Don't screw up something good with him because Bruce hurt your feelings. And I cannot even believe that I just said that to you and we will never speak of my moment of weakness again. Capiche?"

"Capiche," Diana chuckled. "Thank you, Lois," she said gratefully.

"You want to thank me, get me a great Justice League exclusive," Lois grumbled. "My Pulitzer's looking lonely."

"I'll do my best," Diana said with a smile as she got off the phone. She sighed, rubbing her eyes clean from tears as best as she could and standing up to stretch. She did love Lex. For so many reasons. She hated thinking of Bruce as an addiction, but maybe it was better to frame him that way. It might help her to let him go. Because the wounds he'd carved into her heart still really hurt. Not to mention the fresh cuts from Shayera.

That, Lex might be able to console her over. A friend turning on you? That would be neutral enough to not put Lex into a jealous panic, right? Diana hoped. Because, she decided, she could really use a hug and some loving support from her Lex after the utter and complete crappiness of her day so far, but she didn't think she could take one more conflict, and especially not with him.

Feeling hopeful, Diana took off into the air and started flying towards Metropolis.


	16. Chapter 16

_A/N Limes ahead! Read at your own risk. _

* * *

_**Chapter 16**_

When Diana landed outside of LexCorp in Metropolis, she realized to her chagrin that it was only mid-afternoon on a weekday. Aside from a few sporadic texts to each other throughout the day, she and Lex had been in the habit of limiting their contact during work hours since he was invariably tied up in meetings and pitches and business calls. Not that Diana wasn't often unavailable, too, when she was training or out on missions, so they saved most of their communication for the evenings.

But here she was just showing up to his office unannounced and uninvited, and she felt bad to disturb him. Diana supposed that she could go to the park or wander around Metropolis, but she had forgotten her wallet in her hurry to leave the Watchtower. Since she rarely went down to Earth when she wasn't on League business, Diana wasn't in the habit of carrying anything with her except her phone.

And, it was a little chilly with an autumn nip in the air. Diana wore her skimpy armored uniform to fight or perform rescue work no matter what the weather was, since she inevitably worked up a hearty sweat and appreciated staying cool, but today she hadn't brought a jacket or thought to change on her way down to Earth due to her anger and distress over Shayera and Bruce. So, she supposed that visiting Lex was her best option.

Diana sighed and pulled out her phone as she pushed open the doors to the sleek and gleaming LexCorp skyscraper. The airy, tall-ceilinged lobby was walled with windows (made of bullet-proof glass, no doubt, Diana thought to herself with an inner smile) and the spacious interior was dotted with black leather armchairs and sofas arranged in small groups around the open floor plan. The huge chrome reception desk that boasted no less than five employees sparkled in front of the bank of elevators and Diana felt the staff's eyes on her as she walked in.

_I'm at LexCorp, can I come up? _Diana texted Lex quickly, nervously chewing on her lip as she hoped that she wasn't interrupting something terribly important. It was only a second before her phone buzzed back his reply.

_Of course, I'm calling Ebony at the front desk right now. _Indeed, a phone was ringing before Diana even finished reading Lex's text. She smiled and walked over to the desk where the polished receptionist was murmuring into the phone.

"Ms. Prince?" Ebony said with a big smile as she finished the call. "Mr. Luthor asked me to send you right up," she said, walking Diana to the farthest elevator on the right.

"Thank you," Diana said gratefully as the receptionist swiped a keycard in the elevator's slot.

"This elevator goes directly to Mr. Luthor's floor," Ebony said by way of explanation. "Enjoy your day," she added as the elevator arrived and the doors opened.

"Thank you," Diana said again, sighing with relief when she was alone at last. She belatedly wondered how much of a mess she looked, given that she had been sobbing her eyes out in the cornfields a little while ago before flying all the way to Metropolis from the Watchtower's remote beaming site.

As the elevator flew up eighty stories, Diana tried to peer at her reflection in the shiny metal doors and to run her fingers through her hair. Not that Lex would mind, but she hated for his colleagues to see her all teary-eyed and bedraggled. Diana's mother had always taught her that as a princess, she was a reflection of not only her mother, the queen, but of the Amazons as a whole, and that a well-groomed appearance was a mark of respect to those whom she represented. And now that she was with Lex, and visiting his own company where his employees would see her, Diana felt embarrassed to not look her best.

_Oh, well, _she sighed to herself. _Too late now. _The doors opened with a whoosh and Diana almost forgot about her unease because Lex was standing there waiting for her with a big smile on his face and so much warmth in his eyes that Diana couldn't help but feel better and start to smile back at him.

"Diana," he said with pleasure as he held his arms out and she gratefully melted into them. "This is a lovely surprise," he said before kissing her in a way that made Diana almost forget exactly why she'd been so troubled a short hour earlier.

"I'm sorry for interrupting your day," Diana said apologetically when she and Lex finally, reluctantly broke off their kiss, although he continued to caress her hips with his hands as she spoke. "I didn't think," she said, looking up at him. "I just beamed down to Earth without any money and then I flew over here, and…" she trailed off, looking distressed.

"You are never an interruption," Lex said to her firmly, gripping her waist for emphasis. His eyes were soft but a little concerned as he took note of Diana's recent tears and her dismal gaze which was usually so bright and happy. He hesitated. "Batman called me," he murmured in a hushed voice, even though the hallway was empty and the secretary in his private office suite was enclosed behind a glass wall with the door shut.

"Oh, no!" Diana said, startled. "What did he say?" she asked him anxiously, pulling back from Lex's chest where she had been cuddled. Lex tightened his hold on her, though, to halt her retreat.

"He said you were hurt and angry about Shayera dating him," Lex said quietly. "Because she's your friend," he clarified. "Not because you were jealous," he added, but even though he didn't make it a question, he still looked at Diana for confirmation.

"That's about the gist of it," Diana sighed, sniffing a little bit. Lex pulled her into a tighter hug for a minute and Diana gratefully rested in his arms, remembering once again how much better the world seemed when Lex was holding her. How could one man - or any man, really - ease her worries so much, the Amazon wondered? It was a mystery, but one that Diana didn't mind being wrapped up in.

"I want to hear all about it," Lex said into her hair as he nuzzled her, "but I'm afraid I do need to finish a meeting first."

"Oh, I did interrupt you," Diana said in dismay, turning her face to look at him, but the protective gleam in Lex's eyes arrested her.

"Diana, you are always my priority," Lex said to her in his fully serious, don't-fuck-with-me-I'm-Lex-Luthor voice as he gazed at her possessively. "I always want you to reach out to me when you need me. Nothing is as important as you." Diana blushed a little bit.

"This is silly, though," she murmured. "I'm just upset."

"Your emotions are as important to me as saving the world is to you," Lex told her, and even though he still spoke in a strong voice, the twinkle in his eyes softened his delivery. "Promise me you'll always call me," he said, raising a hand up to cup her cheek, and Diana heard the more vulnerable pleading tone that was hidden underneath his command.

"I will," she said softly, feeling the knots in her stomach begin to relax under Lex's loving concern. "Thank you," she added, leaning in to kiss him again and feeling filled with gratitude and joy that she mattered so much to somebody. Lex smiled at her when they finally broke apart.

"You're welcome to come to the rest of the meeting with me," he told her as he gently interlaced his hand in hers. "Or, you can wait in my office until I finish. It's up to you," he said, not able to resist bending down to kiss her bare shoulder, which made her giggle.

"You've never seen me in the armor before, huh," Diana teased him flirtatiously.

"Not since we've been dating," Lex murmured with a heated look. "It's most appealing." Diana's eyes started to sparkle and the hole in Lex's heart that had ripped open when he saw Diana come out of the elevator looking so woebegone slowly began to recede back into fullness.

"I'd love to come to your meeting," she told him, swinging their hands a little bit. "I won't be in the way? Wait - don't tell me," she laughed a little bit as Lex opened his mouth to speak with an affronted look on his face. "I'm never in the way?" she confirmed with him and he pecked her lips.

"You're a fast learner, Wonder Woman," he said.

"I love you, Lex," Diana told him happily.

"I love you, too, Diana," he said back, lifting their hands up to his lips so he could kiss the back of hers.

"What kind of meeting is it?" Diana asked him curiously as he walked her down the hall.

"I told you I started acquiring struggling green energy companies?" Lex reminded her and Diana nodded. Part of Lex's makeover plans for LexCorp were to combat global warming by starting to quietly buy up the best green tech on the market that was currently too expensive for the average consumer or business to implement due to its limited production and demand.

When Lex shut down his weapons factories, he'd have the space and employees to start mass-producing the green solutions and, since he had so much sway in both the corporate and political worlds, he'd soon have a near monopoly on the affordable side of the market and the power and means to forcefeed his LexCorp resources to the masses, a plan which pleased him greatly.

He'd become even richer and soon be the most powerful man on the planet, all while being hailed as Earth's Savior, a title which he now coveted, since World's Greatest Super-Villain was off the table. And best of all, Diana was thrilled with his efforts to support a cause dear to her heart. Lex was starting by tackling the manufacturing side of the problem, but he had no doubt that within five years - ten at the most - he'd have single-handedly reversed the effects of global warming. It was good to be Lex Luthor, he thought with satisfaction, and even better to be Lex Luthor with his dearest Diana at his side.

"This is part of the green plan, but it doesn't look that way, yet," he said to her. "I'm trying to acquire the DeLorean vehicle company," Lex told her as they approached the large conference room at the end of the hall.

"I'm not familiar with them," Diana said and Lex smiled.

"We'll have to watch _Back to the Future_," he told her as he opened the door for her. "Oh, and remind me to tell you later how I bought Detroit this morning," he whispered in her ear with a wink to her surprised face.

"Ladies, gentlemen, thank you for allowing me the brief break," Lex said grandly as they entered the room.

Some corporate executives wearing suits in different shades of black and gray who were milling around the oblong brushed steel table with cups of coffee in their hands turned to look at the couple with surprise. Humans wore such depressing colors most of the time, Diana thought for the thousandth time as they stared at her and she tried to politely return their gawks.

Of course, Lex wore mostly black, too, but he looked so good in it that Diana didn't mind. It sort of fit his personality as a villain, or former villain, anyway. But when she was faced with an entire room of people wearing nothing but black, Diana had the unfortunate sense that she was at a human funeral. And, her brightly colored uniform stood out garishly against the dark cloud of business suits and made her feel even more awkward.

_Oh, well, _Diana thought again with a little sigh.

"This is Diana Prince, Wonder Woman," Lex said to the room with ease, as if her being there was nothing out of the ordinary, and then he took her around to each person individually to introduce them by name. And Diana couldn't help but smile at the happy glow in her heart as she noted once again Lex's thoughtful way of treating people. He really was so kind, she thought to herself, and so considerate to remember every single person's name even though he'd probably met them all today for the first time. She squeezed his fingers a little tighter as he led her to the head of the table.

A single chair was there, but Lex slid it over slightly and held it out for her before pulling an empty chair around for him to sit in next to her. He nodded at the head of the DeLorean company who was ready to reconvene the meeting, and the business started up again. Lex continued to take notes with his left hand, but he snuck his right hand over to hold Diana's underneath the table.

Diana listened curiously as it became apparent that DeLorean was a long-defunct American car company that had gone bankrupt in the early eighties, although it appeared that they still operated a few stores for sales of used cars, parts, and repairs. And, it seemed that the DeLorean executives were more than eager to sell and perhaps a little stunned at Lex's interest. They tried to mask it, but Diana could see their nerves as they made their sales pitch and answered Lex's many questions.

And Diana couldn't deny that she was getting more than a little turned on by Lex's business acumen. He had such a sharp mind, and asked such thoughtful questions, and he looked damn sexy while doing it, with his power wafting off of him like cologne. She found herself crossing her legs and growing warmer as the meeting progressed. Which Lex may have noticed, although he gave nothing away except for stroking her hand under the table a little more sensually with his thumb. Diana was biting her lip by the time that Lex stood to end the meeting.

"Thank you all for coming out today," he said graciously. "I'll go over your numbers and have an offer to you tomorrow," he said, which prompted tentatively hopeful looks from the sellers as they shook hands with him and said good-bye to Diana. Lex and Diana followed them out of the room and walked them down to the elevator, still hand in hand, but as soon as the elevator doors shut, Lex was tugging Diana into his office suite.

"Tess, this is Diana Prince," he said to his secretary, who was smiling up at them. "Diana, meet Eve Teschmacher, my organizational guru."

"It's such a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Prince," Eve said enthusiastically as she stood up and came around the desk to shake Diana's hand.

"Oh, please, call me Diana," the Amazon said warmly, noting the genuine friendliness in Eve's eyes despite her rather sexy attire, which Diana couldn't deny had set little alarm bells off in her mind at first glance. "And should I call you Eve, then? Or Tess?" Eve giggled.

"Oh, Mr. Luthor calls me Tess for short, but you can call me either. He used to call me Ms. Teschmacher but that was such a mouthful for him to be calling out every other minute when he needed something," she said and Lex chuckled.

"Yes, I do put dear Tess through the wringer some days," he said apologetically.

"But he pays me well for my trouble," Tess said, looking at him as fondly as a mother hen might look at her chick. "And, he introduced me to my husband," she said, looking back to Diana. "Dr. Axel Granite. He works for Lex, too."

"Oh, how nice," Diana said, secretly feeling greatly relieved. Not that Tess looked like she had the hots for Diana's man, but the situation with Bruce and Shayera was making Diana feel uncomfortably insecure and Tess got to spend most of every day interacting with Lex and dressed like a pin-up girl, to boot. While Diana had barely been in Lex's life for a week.

"I'm so happy that Mr. Luthor is dating you," Tess said as she beamed at the two of them. "He deserves someone nice in his life." An overwhelming affection for Tess suddenly flooded Diana's heart and she moved forward and pulled the startled secretary into a hug.

"Oh!" Tess said, laughing a little bit. "What was that for?" Diana was about to speak truthfully, but she caught herself, remembering that the world at large only thought of Lex as a businessman. His nefarious dealings were no secret to the Justice League, but to the average person? Diana wasn't sure exactly how evil her Lex typically came off to the masses.

"It makes me happy that you care so much for Lex and that you're being so welcoming to me," Diana ended up saying tactfully. "He's lucky to have you," she added sincerely.

"Oh, Ms. Pr - Diana," Tess managed to get out. "That's so kind of you to say," she said, dabbing some tears away. "Bless your heart," she said as she moved back to her desk. Lex smiled.

"Tess, hold my calls until further notice, all right?"

"Yes, sir, Mr. Luthor," his still smiling secretary answered. Lex led Diana into his office and shut the door behind them.

Diana was intending to say something nice about Tess but Lex had her pushed up against the door and his tongue in her mouth with his hands all over her before she could get a word out.

_Hera!_ was the only thought that Diana could manage as her brain fuzzed out and her body took over, because Lex had made out with her before, but nothing like this, with his whole body pinning her tight and his hands sliding over her breasts and stomach and tangled in her hair and skimming her bare shoulders and arms before sliding down to her equally bare thighs.

Diana barely registered her arms clinging to Lex's neck as she lost herself in a pink cloud of heat and desire and craving as Lex's hard cock ground into her and made her pussy drip while he fucked her mouth with his tongue. She couldn't feel his hands through the armor on her chest, but knowing they were there caressing her curves made her hotter than she could have imagined.

A moan slipped out of her mouth and Diana jerked her lips away from Lex's in panic.

"What's wrong, baby?" he asked her, sliding his mouth down to her bare neck instead which he started paying equal attention to.

"Tess!" Diana whispered urgently. "She'll hear!" Lex chuckled darkly without letting up his kisses as he found Diana's jugular and began to lick and suck at it gently.

"My office is soundproofed," he murmured against her throat, moving his hands up to stroke Diana's shoulders in an attempt to calm her nerves. "Don't hold back." Diana laughed a little bit in relief but she gently palmed Lex's face with her hands and pulled his mouth away from its diligent ministrations so she could look him in the eyes.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" she asked him softly. "You said you wanted to wait."

"I changed my mind," Lex said huskily. His eyes were burning into hers with heat and passion but Diana bit her lip, worried.

"What if you regret it?" she asked him. "I'd hate that," she said, rubbing her thumbs over his cheekbones. Lex groaned. "You never told me why you wanted to wait until New Year's in the first place," Diana pointed out reasonably. "And I don't mind either way. But I'm nervous to go ahead without knowing if you really changed your mind or if you're only turned on by me in my uniform."

Lex sighed heavily and pressed their foreheads together.

"Not just you in your uniform," he said. "You eating me up in that meeting." And Diana giggled.

"You were so sexy being all powerful and commanding like that," she said. "I couldn't help it."

"Mm-hm," Lex murmured, brushing his lips against her cheek before dropping them to press a kiss to the corner of her mouth. Diana sighed too and held his waist lightly.

"We should at least talk first," she said, prompting more groans from Lex. "I can always stay over tonight," she said, looking up at him lovingly. Lex sighed again with resignation.

"Do you realize that I have never before in my life waited to have sex with a woman when we both wanted to?" he said in a somewhat mystified but self-deprecating tone as he slowly stepped back and rubbed his hands over his bald head. "I am a fucking mess around you, Diana," he said a little shakily, half-turning away from her.

"Is that bad?" Diana asked him with some concern. Lex let out a nervous laugh.

"I don't know," he said. "My cock thinks so," he smiled ruefully. "My head might agree. My heart… well. I didn't think I had one until you danced with me," he said, looking back at her with a surprising amount of vulnerability in his eyes.

"Oh, Lex," Diana breathed, coming forward automatically to hug him before quickly reconsidering and settling for rubbing his back lightly instead. He reached out and gripped her hand tightly in his.

"Let's talk," he said.


	17. Chapter 17

_**Chapter 17**_

Lex tugged Diana over to the sleek black leather sofa in the windowed corner of his office that looked out over Metropolis and pulled her down to sit next to him, but he almost immediately let go of her hand to rub his head again in frustration.

"Tell me what's going on," Diana said gently, looking at Lex with worried eyes. Lex let out a nervous laugh, which sounded quite odd coming from the great business magnate and evil genius.

"Diana, Diana," he said slowly as he sighed. He turned his head to look at her and picked her hand back up in his.

"I am not accustomed to feeling insecure about anything," Lex admitted quietly as he played with her fingers.

"I can imagine," Diana said with a little smile that Lex responded to with a dry chuckle.

"And here I am, with you," Lex said, "plagued with fears that any day now you'll come to your senses and call things off."

"No," Diana said firmly, shaking her head, but Lex gave her a piercing look.

"I know you're upset about more than the fact that Shayera is your friend," he said, referencing Shayera and Bruce's new romance, and even though Lex said it mildly enough, Diana flushed. "We both know you were in love with Bruce," Lex said to her. "Hell, I tried to help you get together with him at the dance. Not even a week ago," he said in bemused disbelief.

"I'm not stupid enough to think that the feelings you had for him will disappear overnight," Lex said, "or insensitive enough to think that it's not natural for you to be hurt that he's dating someone else. But…" he trailed off for a moment before rallying himself to finish. "It's harder to see you upset over him than I would like it to be."

Diana sighed and squeezed Lex's fingertips.

"I hate feeling the way I do about him," she said. "I've been so happy with you, Lex; happier than he ever made me feel. But it hurts that he could move on so quickly. All that time the two of us were in love and he never wanted to date me. Now I blink and he's with Shayera and it makes me feel worthless," she sniffed.

"Diana, you are the complete opposite of worthless," Lex said in wonder. "I'm stunned that he ever rejected you." Diana shrugged.

"You know what he said?" she asked Lex and he shook his head. "He said I wanted too much from him. Me. Who only wanted to give love and happiness to him. But he didn't want happiness," she said bitterly. "Apparently, Batman likes being miserable. Except somehow it's ok for him to be happy with Shayera but not with me." Lex pressed his shoulder into hers.

"To be fair, Shayera's only resemblance to an angel is the wings. She's full of darkness," Lex said. "You're the one full of light. And Bruce's head is so far up his ass that of course he prefers being in the dark," Lex said and Diana giggled, but she looked at Lex in some amazement.

"Lois said almost exactly the same thing," she mused. "About both of them, actually. Although she said Bruce _was_ an asshole, not that his head was up one, but, you know," Diana smiled. "Close enough. She said I was out of Bruce's league."

"Lois Lane is a wise woman," Lex said, smiling back at her. "Although, if she thought you were out of Bruce's league, I shudder to think what she's said about me."

"Actually," Diana said, "she told me not to screw things up with you." Lex's eyebrow shot up.

"We need to go find the real Lois Lane," he said, "because clearly her Bizarro self was the one speaking to you." Diana laughed a little bit, but some tears were starting in the back of her eyes.

"I hate that I'm hurting you because of old baggage with Bruce," she said with regret. "You're the one I want to be with," she said, looking into Lex's eyes and knowing she meant it. Because Bruce's eyes only ever filled her with helpless desperation and longing. But Lex's filled her with safety and comfort and happiness.

And hope, Diana suddenly realized. Hope for a future that was full of love and family with a supportive partner who would give her the romance and friendship that she knew she deserved.

Lex must have liked what he saw in Diana's gaze, because his hand was reaching up to cradle her cheek as he kissed her, more sweetly and less intensely than he had been a few minutes ago, but it felt more intentional. And one of the things that Diana appreciated so much about Lex was his deliberate nature. If he did something, he meant it, and that filled Diana with confidence when the things that he did were for her.

"Tell me why you wanted to wait for sex," Diana said as she pulled back from Lex's lips a little bit. "You must have had a good reason," she said, rubbing his arm a little bit, "and I'm not going to take advantage of you if you're being impulsive and it's not what you really want," she said seriously. Lex sighed.

"I'm afraid you'll leave me," he said honestly. "And if you do, and I've made love to you - and mind you, that is not a phrase or an act or an emotion that I've ever been familiar with - so, if you leave me after that, I will burn the world down," he said in a voice that sounded suspiciously like he wasn't exaggerating.

"Especially knowing I'm your first…?" he confirmed with her and she nodded. Which couldn't help but bring a tender smile to his face as he stroked her cheek. Diana's eyes glowed a little brighter as she smiled back at him and gave him another soft kiss.

"So we should wait," Diana said, bringing her own palm up to lay on his cheek, "until you're sure that I'm not going anywhere. Ok?" she asked him. "And I'm not, Lex," she promised him. "But I'm also not stupid enough to think that you should trust me after only a week, especially with this tangled mess of emotions I have around Bruce. Which I believe will get better," she told him, shifting to lay her head on Lex's shoulder.

"I don't blame you for how you feel," Lex said kindly. "You wouldn't be you if you didn't love the unlovable," he said and Diana giggled.

"You are not unlovable," she protested.

"Of course not," Lex teased. "I was only talking about Bruce." Diana smiled and nestled her head into him tighter.

"I might get over Bruce faster if you and me spend more time together," she said thoughtfully.

"My genius is rubbing off on you," Lex said with approval, pulling her hand up to his mouth so he could kiss her palm. "Spend as much time with me as possible," he told her. He hesitated, but then he said, "Honestly, Diana, I have a spare bedroom. Anytime you're not working and you want to spend the evening and the night, you can. I'll give you a keycard tonight."

Diana's face lit up. "I'd love that," she said happily. "The Watchtower has never felt so far away from Earth as it's felt this week," she said, and the corners of Lex's eyes crinkled up in delight.

"Oh," she said, "could we have Lois and Clark over for dinner tonight? At your penthouse? Lois said she'd be willing to try one dinner." Lex laughed out loud.

"That brave woman," he said. "She must really love you," he added and Diana smiled.

"I think she does, actually," she said with pleasure, but then she frowned and groaned. "I was a real ass to Clark today, though," she moaned as Lex raised an eyebrow.

"I find that impossible to believe," he said but Diana shook her head.

"No, I was horrible," she said. "Upset and emotional, yes. But inexcusably rude. So they'll only come if Clark is willing to let me apologize tonight."

"I'm sure the Boy Scout will be fine," Lex said soothingly. "He'll eat up that apology until he has no room left for dinner," he teased her but Diana laughed because it was very nearly true. "I need to meet Aquaman down at the docks at midnight to give him the nuclear codes," Lex said. "You'll come with me?" he asked her hopefully. "And stay the night?" Diana smiled and nodded.

"Do you want to come with me to Themyscira when I give the codes to my mother?" she asked him. "Is it too soon to meet her? You can't come on the island, of course, but I can land my plane on the water and bring her out to you there, if she's willing."

"I'd be honored to meet your mother," Lex said warmly, reaching up to run a hand through Diana's hair. "Providing she doesn't try to kill me for marrying her daughter." Diana giggled.

"I won't let her," she said.

"Ok, then," Lex said with a smile in his eyes. "Tell me about Shayera," he said, nudging her shoulder as he changed topics. "Bruce said you were angry with her. She's also one of your friends?" Diana sighed heavily.

"Yes. She was. And then wasn't. And then I thought we were reconnecting, but…" Diana's eyes started to fill with tears and she brushed them away impatiently as Lex pulled his arm up and settled it around her shoulders, tugging her in close for a hug.

"She was the only person who didn't judge me for dating you," Diana said to him as she wrapped her arm around his chest. "And she was so supportive about how badly Bruce had hurt me. Then she turns around and gets together with him! How could she…?" Diana asked Lex brokenly, fighting more tears. Lex looked at her thoughtfully.

"I suppose," he said slowly, "that it's completely unlikely for two people with a platonic connection to suddenly realize how right they are for each other and fall in love." Diana looked at him suspiciously. "And," Lex went on, "because that's so impossible a situation, they're naturally only getting together in order to betray and hurt all of their closest friends," he said with a growing twinkle in his eye.

Diana groaned loudly and buried her face in his shoulder.

"Dammit, Lex!" she said as he started to chuckle.

"Baby, I know it hurts to have the shoe on the other foot," he said, cuddling her closer as he kissed her head. Diana made more unhappy sounds before looking back up at him.

"Now I think I need to talk to John, too," she said.

"The Green Lantern?" Lex asked her. "What's happening with him?"

"He's been so angry at me for dating you," Diana said with a sigh. "_So_ angry, Lex. And very rude about it, but… I haven't tried to reach out to him, either," she said with regret. "Well," Diana said guiltily, "except for tattling to him today that Bruce was dating his ex," she moaned in embarrassment. Lex laughed softly.

"I'm such a mess, Lex," Diana said in frustration.

"You're only human, Diana," Lex said fondly. "Or - well - you know what I mean," he said.

"Mm-hm," Diana said discontentedly. "I used to think I was better than this," she said. Lex smiled.

"If you were perfect, where would that leave me?" he asked her playfully. "I like you with some flaws," he said, reaching up to stroke her face. "Villainy is such a turn on," he murmured and Diana laughed out loud and reached her hand up to pull his head close for a kiss.

"Don't get used to it," she warned him. "I happen to find heroics quite appealing, myself," she smiled.

"You may be out of luck there with me," Lex chuckled, "but I could borrow Clark's cape sometimes if that would suffice." Diana laughed into Lex's teasing eyes but she shook her head.

"You are the kindest person I've ever met," she said to him. "It's my favorite thing about you." Lex raised an eyebrow.

"I'm kind?" he asked her. Diana nodded.

"So kind," she said. "To the reporters, and Carlos your pilot, and those executives today. You remembered everyone's name, Lex. And Tess clearly thinks the world of you. Honestly," Diana said, "based on your personalities, you should be the hero and Bruce should be the villain." Lex busted out in a hearty laugh.

"Oh, do tell him that," he said as his shoulders continued to shake. Diana smiled.

"I might," she said with satisfaction. "If he ever yells at me again."

"Such a villain," Lex teased, giving her another kiss.

"I felt insecure today, too," Diana admitted to him. "About you."

"About me?" Lex said in surprise.

"Tess was wearing such a sexy dress," Diana said, "and she gets to spend all day with you, every day, and you two know each other so well. I got a little nervous," she said shyly. "Until she told me she was married."

"Oh, Diana," Lex said, hugging her tightly with both arms. "I've never been interested in Tess. She's a wonderful secretary," he said. "But not my type. She's far too flirty and over the top when she's interested in a man. Unlike my sultry and quietly seductive Wonder Woman," he said with a heated glance. "And she's far too valuable to my sanity, in any case, to ever risk destroying our professional relationship."

"She didn't seem to be interested in you, either," Diana said with relief. Lex laughed.

"Oh, no, Tess wants a man who falls all over her," he said. "Who she can wrap around her little finger while she leads him around. That's why I introduced her to Axel. He's ridiculously happy panting after her." Diana laughed.

"I pity anyone who tries to wrap you around their finger," she said. Lex gazed at her adoringly.

"That's partly why I love you," he said. "You don't have any interest whatsoever in controlling me but you don't seem to realize that you have complete power over me." Diana's eyes softened and she snuggled closer into Lex's chest as he held her.

They stayed like that for a few minutes until Diana said, "I know you have more work to do. I might be a welcome distraction, but I seem to recall you were going to look over some numbers and put an offer together for the DeLorean car company." Lex sighed.

"Unfortunately, yes," he said reluctantly. "But then I'll be free for dinner tonight. You can hang out here in my office while I work, though," he told her. "Or take my credit card and go out."

"You're so good to me, Lex," Diana said to him lovingly.

"Not nearly as good as you are to me," Lex said sincerely.

Back on the Watchtower, Vixen had been slightly hurt when John didn't come back to the commissary after his blow-up with Batman to tell her he was going down to Earth or to even send her a text to that effect. J'onn had thoughtfully filled her in, though, that he had instructed John to rest at home for a few days and Vixen wasn't an idiot. She knew that John still had feelings for Shayera and that he was reeling from learning that she was dating again.

But Vixen also knew her man well enough to know that Batman's betrayal was probably hurting him worse. John took loyalty and his code of honor so seriously. There was nothing that he wouldn't do for one of his old war buddies, no matter how busy he was with League business or his own life. And Vixen knew that to a soldier, they'd all do the same for him.

The trouble was, John had considered Batman to be almost as close of a friend. She couldn't imagine how painful it was for John to learn that Batman was with his ex, and to not even hear it from his friend himself. For a man like John, that wound would be deep and Vixen prayed that it wouldn't be irreparable. John needed Batman's friendship in the League. He'd often told her how he felt that the Bat was the only one who really understood his military perspective and without him coming out and saying so, Vixen had heard John's frustrated sense of isolation from the other Founders.

But John wasn't the type of man who necessarily welcomed comfort and care-taking with open arms, so Vixen figured she'd give him space to cool off and grieve for the rest of the day. In the morning, though… in the morning Vixen would definitely swing by his apartment to check on him. Maybe take him out for a nice breakfast to that diner he liked. And if nothing else, she could offer a sympathetic listening ear.

She sighed to herself and hoped that she'd find John feeling a little bit better after a good night's sleep. Troubles always seemed a little less gloomy by the light of a new day, right?


	18. Chapter 18

_**Chapter 18**_

"You look beautiful," Lex said to Diana as she twirled in her new red dress to show off, the A-line skirt fluttering as she moved while the fitted top highlighted her curves.

"Thank you for encouraging me to go buy some clothes," Diana said to him with a big smile, bouncing up to him to wrap him up in an equally big kiss as they stood together in the living room of Lex's sleekly designed penthouse. Which was now, apparently, Diana's penthouse too, as Lex had given her a carbine clip full of access keys to the elevators, his office, and his home at the top of the LexCorp Tower as well as one of his credit cards to use freely.

"You needed some clothes to keep here," Lex said with a warm crinkle at the corner of his eyes. "So I had not entirely selfish motives," he said as he raked her over appreciatively. "But I must confess, I am looking forward to the rest of the fashion show later." His intimate smile only grew warmer as Diana peppered his cheek with kisses while she hung happily off of his neck.

"Shopping is more fun when I have someone to dress up for," Diana said to him as he snuggled his arms around her waist and held her as tenderly as if she was one of the Ming vases in the foyer.

"Money is more fun when I have someone to spend it on," Lex said back, and his dark eyes had never looked so happy, because while he found that he loved showering Diana with gifts, he also loved the motivation that it gave him to earn even more money to spoil her even further.

And, if spoiling Diana meant pouring some of that excess wealth into charities and food banks and GreenPeace instead of into houses and cars and jewelry, what did he care? The more money he had to save the world with, the happier she'd be and therefore the more satisfied he'd be, so life was looking good indeed for Lex Luthor and his relentless ambition.

On that thought, the intercom buzzed and Lex gave Diana a knowing look.

"Are you ready for Hurricane Lois?" he asked her and she giggled.

"I have faith in you," she said to Lex. "At least," she amended, "I know you'll do your best, even if you can't win her over." Lex winked and walked over to the call box. "Yes?" he said.

"Mr. Luthor, I have Clark Kent and Lois Lane here for dinner," they heard one of the lobby receptionists say.

"Please send them up, Yesica," Lex said. "Thank you."

"Of course, Mr. Luthor," she said, and Diana could hear the smile in Yesica's voice.

"And you say you're not kind," Diana said to him.

"Because I said please and thank you?" he said with amusement. "That's just good manners, Diana."

"No," Diana said, shaking her head. "You recognized her voice and knew her name, Lex." She looked at the clock. "It's seven-thirty p.m. on a Thursday and you knew the voice and name of one of the night shift lobby employees."

"Well, of course I know her name and can recognize her voice," Lex said in surprise.

"Kind," Diana said with a smile and Lex gave her a slightly embarrassed one back.

"You think too highly of me," he murmured but Diana gave him a hug.

"You don't think highly enough of yourself," she contradicted and Lex laughed out loud as she kissed his cheek.

"You are the first person in existence to accuse Lex Luthor of having too low an opinion of himself," he chuckled, still laughing as the elevator doors opened and Clark stepped out, hand in hand with a grimly determined Lois.

"Clark! Lois," Diana said happily, releasing Lex to go give her friends hugs. "I'm so glad you came tonight," she said. Lois gently patted her back but Diana could feel all of the tension in her friend's posture.

"Clark, I'm so sorry for how I acted earlier," Diana said contritely as she released Lois and turned to face him. "It was inexcusable," she said but Clark smiled at her.

"I know you were upset," he said kindly. "Bruce dating Shayera must have been quite a shock."

"Yes," Diana agreed, leaning forward gratefully to hug him and appreciating the tight squeeze she got back. Superman never held back on his hugs with Diana since she was one of the few people he didn't have to worry about squishing to death and Diana felt the same way about her Kryptonian friend. Sometimes it was so nice to be able to really hug someone like she wanted to, even more so when she'd wronged him.

"I was upset, but I still acted terribly," she said. "And I'm so very sorry, Clark. You and J'onn have had your hands full with me and everyone else this week," she said.

"Everyone except Wally," Clark chuckled. "J'onn and I should bake him a cake. But I forgive you, Diana," he said and Diana smiled in relief.

"Thank you," she said. "So, I guess you know Lex," she smiled.

"Clark Kent, so good to see you again," Lex intoned formally, reaching out for a handshake. "It was such a pleasure to meet you the other night at the charity ball," he said and Clark actually laughed out loud.

"Lex," he said teasingly, shaking Lex's hand firmly, and Diana didn't see Lex wince even though she was watching his face intently.

"And this is Lois," Diana said to Lex with a lot more nerves swirling around in her belly.

"Lois," Lex said to her in a much more serious tone without presuming to hold his hand out to her. "I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you being willing to give me a chance for Diana's sake," he said. Lois glared at him.

"Only for Diana's sake," she grumbled.

"I know," Lex said honestly. "If I were in your shoes, I'd feel the same way that you do," he said.

"If you were in my shoes," Lois said to him, "you'd be dead by now." Lex let out a hearty laugh.

"Lois, Lois, it's a shame you never went into villainy," he said to her. "You could have gone far." She sniffed.

"I prefer saving the world to destroying it," she said as Lex smiled easily.

"And now I do, too," he said, placing his hand on Diana's back as he led them all into the living room. "What can I get you to drink? Gin and tonic, Lois?" he asked her.

"Yes," she said, slightly surprised. Lex winked at her and she snorted and looked away with an eye roll.

"Clark?" Lex asked him. "Root beer?"

"Yes, thank you," Clark said, looking much less surprised but a hell of a lot more amused than Lois had been. Lois sighed as she settled onto the antique but pristine formal white velvet sofa next to Clark while Diana took the coordinating loveseat, not minding at all the added proximity to Lex that the smaller seat would provide.

Lex came back to hand Lois and Clark their drinks before returning to fill glasses of white wine for him and Diana, who smiled at him as he settled himself in close beside her.

"We ordered Thai food," Diana said. "I've never had it before," she said happily and even Lois had to smile a tiny bit at Diana's childlike enthusiasm. "It should be here soon," Diana said.

"I visited Thailand once," Lois remarked after taking a hefty swallow of her gin and tonic.

"Were you on assignment there?" Lex asked her with interest, but Lois shook her head.

"No, it was as a child when my father was in the military," she said. "He was stationed in the Philippines and we took a family vacation to Thailand since it wasn't too far. Of course he dragged us all to see the bridge over the river Kwai, which was so incredibly boring to children," she pouted. "I mean, it was a bridge. That's it," she huffed. "My sister and I didn't give a crap about the military history associated with it," she said. "We were six and eight," she laughed.

"But we really loved visiting Monkey Beach on Koh Phi Phi. The monkeys came right up to us," she said. "My mother was terrified, though," she said with a smile, looking a little wistful for a rare moment. Clark slid his arm around her waist and Diana bit her lip, knowing that Lois's mother had died when Lois was young.

"Well, you'll have to tell us if tonight's dinner lives up to your memories of what you ate when you were there," Lex said, smoothly steering the conversation back to safer ground.

"Oh, I'm sure I'll enjoy dinner much more than anything I ate back then," Lois said. "Kids have terrible palates," she grimaced.

"Yes, your adult palate is much more refined," Clark teased her. "Day old coffee, straight black," he said. Lois looked at him very seriously.

"It was still good," she said. He raised his eyebrow at her and glanced over at Lex and Diana with a twinkle in his eye. "It gets stronger on the second day," Lois insisted.

"You say that like it's a good thing," Clark said.

"It is," Lois grinned up at him as Lex and Diana laughed.

"That reminds me, Lois," Lex said. "I spoke to the Joker this week and he agreed to do a series of interviews with you." Lois whipped her head around to stare at him, her jaw dropping open slightly as Clark started to frown.

"Why did Lois's coffee story remind you of that?" Diana said, playfully poking his side.

"Because she's apparently as crazy as old Jokes," Lex said dryly, although his eyes were full of humor for Diana. "Day old coffee, Lois. Really," he scoffed, glancing back to the reporter. Lois paid no mind at all to his jab.

"Joker never gives interviews," she said, her eyes still wide as saucers. "Ever," she said. "He's fundamentally against them. Reporters hound him every time he's in Arkham and he always turns them down. Says he's above pandering to the masses."

"Well, he's not above pandering to Lex Luthor," Lex drawled. "I cashed in a favor," he said with a little shrug.

"Oh, my God, Clark," Lois said with growing excitement, turning to face him. "The Joker!" she said, tugging on his sleeve and practically starting to bounce in her seat. "Perry is going to lose his mind," she crowed, pushing her hair back out of her face.

Diana's eyes were softly glowing as she pulled Lex's face down to look at her.

"You did that for Lois?" she asked him and he nodded, his eyes getting softer as he took in Diana's happy approval.

"This doesn't make us even," Lois cautioned him, but she couldn't achieve nearly the level of sharp rudeness that she was aiming for. "And I still don't forgive you for trying to kill Clark. Multiple times," she said, even though she couldn't wipe the huge smile off of her face.

"Of course you don't," Lex said regally. "You wouldn't be Lois Lane if you forgave me," he said calmly. "Still, I thought perhaps a grand gesture was in order," he said, looking quite pleased with himself.

"Lois, I don't know if this is such a good idea," Clark said to her, his unhappiness becoming more and more evident.

"Clark, you cannot be serious," Lois said impatiently. "It's a fabulous idea. It's the scoop of the century. Holy shit," she said, almost giddy now.

"You can go with her, Clark," Lex said comfortingly. "To take photographs like the good little mild-mannered reporter you are. Joker doesn't know what happens when you take your clothes off," he said. "Unless there's something that Lois and I both don't know," he smirked. Clark rolled his eyes a little bit but the tension started to leave his face.

"Joker won't mind someone else in the room?" Lois asked Lex anxiously. Diana could see her reporter brain whirring twenty-two million miles an hour, already covering angles and planning her attack.

"No, I told him you'd be bringing your photographer boyfriend," Lex said. "He fussed a little but after what he did to Harley, well, he didn't have much room to argue with me."

"He really must owe you," Lois said in wonder and Lex gave a mysterious smile.

"We won't discuss the particulars," he said. "I'm a changed man, now," he said majestically, lifting his arm up to wrap it around Diana's shoulders as she snuggled into him.

"Yeah, right," Lois couldn't help saying. "You can't seriously expect me to buy that, Lex," she said as she downed more of her drink.

"Lois," Diana protested but Lex said, "No, Lois makes a fair point. I'm not fundamentally changed, of course," he said. "But my priorities have shifted and I am adjusting my strategies accordingly."

"And your priority now is Diana?" Lois confirmed, searching his face carefully to see if he would tell her the truth.

"Obviously," Lex said. "And her happiness. Not that I don't hate to disappoint you, Clark," he said, glancing over to Superman. "I know your Boy Scout heart yearns for every villain's eager reform. But, alas," he said with mock sadness, "if it were not for my beloved Diana, I fear that I would still be trying to kill you," he said even though Diana groaned a little bit and buried her face in his shoulder.

"There's the Lex I know," Lois muttered into her drink.

"You'd miss me too much if you ever succeeded, Lex," Clark said with a smile.

"Perhaps I would," Lex said more seriously, actually considering Superman's words. "I can't deny that I am looking forward to a lifetime of being a cheerfully helpful thorn in your side as Mr. Diana Prince," he said with a twinkle in his eye and even Lois giggled at that, although the alcohol may have been partially to blame.

"At least he's a feminist," she said and Diana laughed, too.

"It would be quite a feat for an Amazon to marry a man who wasn't a feminist," she said and Lois met her eye and smiled back at her.

Diana sighed inwardly with relief. Things weren't going nearly as badly as she'd feared they might. Lois was sincerely trying and that touched Diana's heart. Plus, Lex getting Joker's interview for Lois - that was such a sweet and thoughtful gesture and something that clearly meant the world to her friend. _Kind, indeed, _Diana thought to herself, happiness flooding her.

This, this was what she'd longed for. Family. Spending time together in a home and not the cold steel walls of the outer space Watchtower. Laughing together and teasing each other and feeling the warmth of their shared love and affection filling them all up. Diana loved people; she had grown up living life surrounded by dozens upon dozens of her Amazon sisters who she did everything with.

And Lex was so sociable. He loved people, too, and he was good with them. Diana thought with pleasure that this would be the first of many evenings that she shared with her Justice League family in her penthouse with Lex at her side, partaking in every moment. He would truly enjoy playing host and diving into bantering conversations and forging deeper connections with her friends.

And Bruce? Bruce wouldn't. No matter how happy Diana had thought that Bruce could become as her lover, even she knew better than to think that Batman would enjoy having the Justice League over to hang out at Wayne Manor. It had been months before he had even consented to officially join the League, for Hera's sake, because he was, in his own words, 'not a people person.' But here was Lex, truly enjoying himself with her friends, and the warmth that filled Diana's heart made her lean a little closer into his side.

He kissed her temple absent-mindely as he continued to listen to Clark describe one of his latest fluffy reporting assignments, on luxury pet parent hotels, and Diana saw that Lois noticed Lex's affection and looked thoughtful. A few minutes later the intercom buzzed again and Lex stood to answer it and have Yesica send the food delivery up while Diana refilled drinks and ushered Lois and Clark to the dining room whose tall windows looked out over the sparkling lights of the night view of Metropolis.

"That's real gold on these, isn't it," Lois said, picking up a black onyx plate edged with gold filigree from the large marble dining table so that she could examine the gold under the light of the elaborate crystal and diamond chandelier suspended over their heads.

"I don't know," Diana said in surprise. Clark chuckled.

"I guarantee it is," he said. "Lex is all about luxe."

"I'm learning that," Diana said. "I suppose I could have guessed, if I'd thought about it beforehand," she said. "But this penthouse is like a museum."

"A comfortable museum, I hope," Lex said as he came into the room carrying the bags of food. "But if you don't like it, Diana, we can redecorate however you want."

"I do like it," Diana said with a smile. "It's beautiful. I might want to add some Grecian elements, though, to remind me of Themyscira."

"Whatever you want, love," Lex said, giving her a tender kiss as his heart swelled with the thought of Diana moving in and making his home theirs. And Lois couldn't help but reach over to squeeze Clark's hand as the couple's sweet moment moved her against her stubborn will. Clark bent down and kissed the top of Lois's head and she sighed as she leaned into him.

Lex and Diana began dishing the carry-out into serving bowls and rebuffed Lois and Clark's offers to help, and soon the quartet was seated and passing the food around the table.

"Can we speak about Justice League matters in front of Lois?" Lex asked Clark partway through the meal. The two reporters glanced at each other.

"Not everything…" Clark said cautiously. "Not that Lois would ever betray something I asked her not to, but the burning desire to publish a scoop would eat her alive."

"I'd be a pile of ash within hours," Lois said, shaking her head sadly.

"A pile of coffee grounds, you mean," Diana said with a giggle and Clark roared with laughter while Lex chuckled quietly.

"Concerning the date and time of the matter we discussed yesterday?" Lex asked Clark as Superman caught his breath and wiped some tears from his eyes.

"That's fine," Lois said, waving her hand. "I won't pry beyond that."

"Sunday night, 10 p.m." Lex said and Clark nodded sharply, immediately pulling his phone out to text J'onn, Diana presumed. "That gives you enough time to do what you need to do with the League beforehand?" Lex asked him and Clark nodded again.

"That should be fine. Bruce and Shayera have probably finished with the strategic planning by now so we can start team meetings tomorrow," Clark said, not thinking of Diana's feelings as he spoke, although Lois glanced over at her sympathetically. Diana looked down at her lap for a minute to gather her emotions back in which were suddenly running helter-skelter through her body.

She was surprised to feel Lex's hand reaching out to find hers under the table and gripping it tightly as he responded to Clark in a neutral voice that gave nothing away. Diana blinked a little bit and clung to Lex's strong hand gratefully, a lump now filling her throat that had absolutely nothing to do with Bruce and Shayera and everything to do with the fact that Lex was caring enough to comfort her over a situation that caused him distress, too.

Diana pressed a kiss to Lex's shoulder as she raised her head back up and the kindness and love in his eyes as she met them made her insides melt into a happy puddle of strawberry ice cream flavored joy.

"You'll wear some kevlar under your suit for the operation?" Diana asked him, but Lex frowned.

"I think that might be too obvious to some of my colleagues," he said and it was Diana's turn to frown.

"I don't want you getting hurt," she said. "It's too dangerous not to wear any armor."

"Bruce can probably give you something thin enough that it wouldn't show," Clark said. "I'll ask him," he said and Lex sighed when he saw the pleading look in Diana's worried eyes.

"Well, I'll try on what he has and we'll see," he said.

"You could wear a three-piece suit," Lois said reluctantly and Diana stared at her. "Well," Lois said grouchily, "the vest would do a better job of hiding the armor. Stop looking at me like that," she said as Clark and Lex's amazed eyes joined Diana's in surprised regard. Lois groaned and gulped down the rest of her second gin and tonic.

"More to drink?" Lex asked with a teasing lilt to his voice.

"Yes, please," Lois grumbled, holding her glass out to him while doing her best Oscar the Grouch scowl as she tried to ignore the blush that had started to stain her cheeks at Clark's loving admiration. Somebody was going to be visited by the Kryptonian sex god tonight, Diana thought with glee.

Lois was more than a little sloshed by the time dinner ended, although she denied it when Clark laughed at her, but it had seemed to help her become a little looser instead of more acerbic which was a relief to Diana, who had only experienced Lois after too much coffee and not too much alcohol.

"Will you join us again sometime?" Diana asked her as she hugged her tipsy friend good-bye in front of the penthouse elevator.

"I suppose," Lois said, and her face was soft despite her half-hearted words. "Especially if Lex keeps feeling the need to repay me," she said with a grin over to Mr. Luthor himself.

"Oh, no," Clark said immediately. "One interview is enough of an amends. This is how the devil ensnares people, Lois," he scolded her and Lex laughed but didn't deny it.

"I'm pleased you think so highly of me, Clark," he said instead and Clark chuckled.

"Lex, Lex, Lex," he said, shaking his head. "I suppose I don't need to warn you what will happen if you ever hurt Diana," he said, going big brother on him.

"J'onn already threatened him with a vegetable brain," Diana piped up but Lex met Clark's eyes with an intensity that made Clark snap to.

"I suppose," Lex said deliberately, "that I don't need to tell you that I'm not the one who you need to warn about hurting Diana." He scorched Clark with a meaningful look and Clark actually flushed a little bit as Diana bit her lip.

"We asked him to work things out with her," Clark said, rubbing his head. "And, he did. I don't think he's going to deliberately try to antagonize her anymore," he said. "The dating situation is unfortunate timing but it wasn't malicious." Lex grunted.

"Keep an eye on him," he said sharply. Lois tipped her head and assessed him with the merest measure of respect before smiling a tiny bit and winking at Diana. Who was already glowing over Lex's protectiveness but she broke into a full bubbly smile at Lois's smidgen of approval.

"I suppose that's one good thing about dating a villain," Lois said a little drunkenly. "He's always got your back."

"I have your back!" Clark protested to her.

"I know, honey," Lois said soothingly as she fell into his chest a little harder than she meant to. "But Lex will cut a bitch," she said as she floppily wrapped her arms around Clark and gave him a sloppy kiss. "And then he'll hide the pieces," she continued, "in a meat locker in Queens."

"And that's better than me protecting you?" Clark asked doubtfully, looking a little hurt.

"Against Batman?" Lois laughed. "Hell, yeah, honey," she said. "You know Bruce keeps kryptonite hidden away for a dark and dire day." And Clark snorted.

"Go home, Lois," Lex said with a laugh. "You're drunk."

"Ehhhh," she said as Clark laughed, too, and steadied her to enter the elevator.

"Founders meeting tomorrow morning at ten," Clark said to Diana over his shoulder. "And all hands on deck at one." Diana nodded.

"I'll be there," she said. "Thanks for coming tonight," she said with a warm smile that Lex shared. Clark nodded.

"We'll come again," he promised, even though he glanced down with amusement at Lois, who was slumped comfortably against him. "See you tomorrow, Diana," he said and she nodded as the elevator doors closed.

"Well," Lex said with contentment once they were alone. "I think that was a resounding success," he said. Diana reached up to caress the planes of his head.

"I can't believe you got Joker to agree to an interview for Lois," she said, her blue eyes burning with love. "That was so sweet of you, Lex."

"I did it for you," he said and a happy whimper escaped Diana's throat as Lex's lips found hers and he swept her into a passionate kiss.

"We have some time before we need to meet Aquaman," Diana said after a few minutes when her breathing was coming fast and heavy and Lex's hands were having trouble staying in one place. "I could give you a fashion show with the rest of the clothes I bought this afternoon."

Lex smiled at her, his dark eyes shining.

"I love you, Diana," he said to her.

"I love you, too, Lex," she said back to him.

And even though she would be sleeping in the spare room for awhile, the sense that Diana had when she went to go change outfits was that she had come home.


	19. Chapter 19

_A/N This chapter contains some kinky sex, but in the context of who the characters are and what it means to them given their backstories. There is consensual, mutual negotiation of kinks and limits including discussion of spanking, flogging, bondage, and ball gags. The only kink in the actual smutty part is bondage. _

_If you're uncomfortable reading the kinky parts of this chapter, vanilla sex starts at the paragraph towards the end that begins with the word "Ok?" which I put in bold to help you find it._

* * *

_**Chapter 19**_

Even though Clark had teased Lois for getting drunk, he couldn't deny that he loved how cuddly she got when she was inebriated. Lois normally shied away from public displays of affection, at most holding hands with him or giving him a quick peck on the lips. And Clark understood. Lois had spent years walling her heart off into a protective shell and she was uncomfortable letting her guard down in public.

But on the taxi ride home, she had wrapped herself around his arm and was snuggling her head into his shoulder, occasionally pressing little kisses into his jacket, and Clark felt full of warm fuzzies. Once he got her up the outdoor steps into her building's lobby, he scooped her up and carried her up the stairs to her fifth floor walk-up while she swung her feet over the edge of his arms and hummed some love song that he couldn't name all while curling herself into his chest as tightly as she could.

"I love you, Superman," she said when they were safely inside her apartment. "Do I get some of that super sex now?"

"Of course," he said, smiling fondly at her as he helped her down the hall to her bedroom. "I love you, too," he said as he gently brushed her fumbling hands away from her zipper and took her skirt off for her, keeping an arm around her waist so she didn't stumble.

"Will you spank me?" Lois asked him as he started unbuttoning her blouse, a job that she was making difficult by hanging onto his neck and kissing his face all over. Not that Clark minded. He kissed the tip of her nose.

"Not tonight," he said to her. "You're drunk."

"I don't care," Lois pouted.

"I do," Clark said. "You won't be able to tell me if it's too much."

Clark had been surprised when Lois had first opened up to him a few months into their relationship about the sexual desires that she'd secretly been harboring. And, to be honest, at first he was put off. Clark wasn't a Dom by any means and he didn't want to be.

But as Lois had begun to explain where she was coming from, Clark's heart had melted.

"I can't ever relax," Lois had said to him. "Even during sex, Clark. I'm always so tightly wound up," she had said, sniffing a little. "I don't want you to do anything you're uncomfortable with, but the idea of being spanked… not hard enough to bruise me or anything," she'd assured him. "But I have all this pent up anxiety and adrenaline and all I want is to be spanked sometimes so I can cry and let go."

Clark had chewed on his lip thoughtfully, his eyes growing more empathetic as Lois spoke.

"Is there more?" he asked her, sensing that she was hesitating, waiting on his reaction before going on.

"Well," Lois had said, a small blush growing on her cheeks. "I'm kind of excited by flogging, too," she admitted. "Not done aggressively but I think lightly with all those little leather strips would feel so good." As she examined Clark's face and saw that it was open, she took a deep breath and said, "And restraints. So I don't have to move or think or do anything except relax and feel."

And as Clark looked into her hopeful eyes, he realized that he didn't want to say no to her. How often had he worried about his Lois running herself ragged and always being cranked up to twelve? And he'd witnessed firsthand how she tossed and turned all night long sometimes, chasing sleep when her brain wouldn't shut itself off. And he never minded however long it took, but Lois did frequently have trouble climaxing during sex, and she always said it was because she was too in her head, not because of him.

So… if this is what would help… Clark decided that he would try it. The very fact that Lois felt safe enough with him to even bring it up touched him more deeply than he knew how to verbalize.

"I don't want to do anything that's going to leave marks or actually hurt you," he said slowly as an eager smile worked its way across Lois's face. "And we'll have to go slow as we figure things out and be really careful because of how strong I am," he said.

"I know," Lois said. "That's ok." Happiness was pouring out of her features and Clark couldn't help but feel overwhelmed by how much this meant to her.

So they had begun experimenting, working out what Clark felt comfortable with and what Lois could handle from him. And, to Clark's surprise, Lois not only loved it, but he did, too. Because seeing his girl finally able to get off easily and not only that but to see her finally finding moments of peace that lasted beyond the bedroom was incredible.

Not to mention the fact that Clark was a giver and he loved being able to tenderly take care of Lois while she was at his mercy as much as she loved having permission to stop trying so hard for once in her life. And, Clark could not deny that watching her respond so passionately was darn hot. Lois had dubbed him the Kryptonian sex god after some of their first adventurous forays into kink and Clark had never felt so proud.

But Clark wasn't going to spank her when she was drunk.

"Can you at least use the restraints then?" Lois asked him pleadingly as he got the rest of her clothes off. "That's safe."

"Ok," Clark said, drawing his now naked Lois into a kiss. "That we can do. But no ball gag," he said and even though Lois huffed out a sigh, she didn't argue. The ball gag was where Clark had almost drawn the line as he and Lois had begun exploring more and more of her desires. It had seemed so abusive to him at first to put something in her mouth so she couldn't talk.

"What do you like about the idea of a ball gag?" he had asked her though, wanting to understand at the very least where she was coming from and why it was important to her before he outright rejected it.

"I really like when you talk to me during sex," Lois had responded as they cuddled together on his couch. "But sometimes I feel so pressured to figure out what to say back and then that's all I can think about and then I fall out of the moment and it's super hard to come."

"You never have to say anything back to me, you know," Clark said, gently brushing her hair out of her face as he stroked her cheek. "I won't mind if you don't," he said.

"I know," Lois said with some frustration. "I know it in my head, Clark," she had told him as she looked up at him with a fragile vulnerability that he had only recently begun to see glimpses of. "But I can't help feeling pressured anyway. So I thought a ball gag would help me shut my brain off so I don't have to worry about it."

"Oh," Clark said softly as his insides went ragged realizing how many burdens Lois was carrying at any given moment that she usually kept to herself. Every new chip in her armor that she felt safe enough to share with him felt like she was gifting him with the world's rarest diamond and Clark cherished each broken piece of Lois even more than he cherished the parts that were whole.

Because no one, not her sister and certainly not her father and definitely not their co-workers, ever saw Lois Lane at anything less than 110%. No one except Clark. He never would have ever considered that something like a ball gag could be therapeutic but as Lois explained it, Clark realized that for Lois, it would be the opposite of abusive. It would be freedom.

"We can try it," Clark had said to her that day and Lois had actually cried a little bit as she hugged him. Only about four tears, but for Lois, that was the equivalent of Niagara Falls.

So their sex life had grown a little more and Clark had grown a little more, too, as he expanded his comfort zone and relaxed his judgments. Lois had grown most of all, though, because the more comfortable she became with Clark, the more settled she became in her own skin. Oh, she was still Lois, doing twelve thousand things at once and sharper than a nail and addicted to coffee, but she began to smile once in awhile. Only at Clark at first, with regularity, but it was something.

So tonight's dinner with Lex and Diana had made Clark more than proud of Lois; it had made him grateful to the Universe for how far she had come and how much happier she was than she used to be and how much she must truly care about Diana to stretch herself so far as to attempt to tolerate Lex Luthor for an evening, even if she needed alcohol to get through it.

"I did it for you, you know," Lois said to him somewhat drunkenly as she crawled naked into bed while she waited for her now equally naked Clark to hook their restraints up. (Clark had been quite glad that Pa had made sure that he was well versed in tools and handyman tasks while growing up, because hiring someone to install secure rings for the restraints into Lois's wooden headboard and footboard would have been far too mortifying to bear.)

"You did what for me, honey?" Clark asked her with a smile.

"Being nice to Lex," Lois said. "It was for you. Not Diana. Because I made you sad yesterday."

"Oh, Lois," Clark said, getting a little teary eyed himself. "I love you," he said, crawling on top of her to kiss her.

"I love you, too, SuperClark," she said as she kissed him back and ran her fingers through his hair. "You put up with so much from me," she said brokenly as they continued to make out with Clark laying on top of her.

"No, I don't," Clark insisted as he held her face gently in his hands and stroked her cheeks with his thumbs. "You don't even realize you're the most amazing person I've ever met in my entire life, Lois," he said, and she smiled a little bit even though her eyes were watery.

"Why are you so good to me, Clark?" she murmured as he started to kiss her neck while she cradled his head in her arms.

"You're my girl," Clark said. "And, I'm Superman. Being good to people is in my nature." And Lois giggled. "You ready for the restraints?" Clark asked her.

"Yeah," she said with an eager smile as she stretched her arms and legs out happily.

"What's your safe word?" Clark asked her as he began fastening the velcro cuffs around her wrists.

"Kryptonite," Lois laughed and Clark smiled, too.

"Good girl," he said, and Lois gave a breathy sigh and squirmed her legs together.

Because Lois had a praise kink, too, which wasn't so surprising given how hard her father had always been on her. Hearing Clark's approval did wonders for her arousal and it was no chore at all for Clark to endlessly compliment her in bed. He added the soft cuffs to her ankles too and stood up to grab a toy from the bedside table where he had laid it.

Lois moaned happily as Clark began tracing her body with the soft feathered end of their leather flogger.

"That feels so good, Clark," she murmured as he gently brushed the feathers over her breasts, taking his time to soothe his way around each nipple and under each curve.

"Good," Clark said with a smile in his voice. "Just relax and enjoy it."

"Ok," Lois said, closing her eyes.

One thing that they had both easily agreed on was that they hated the more formal Dom and sub roleplays that involved harsh commands and complete obedience. All Lois wanted was Clark's gentle guidance as he took care of her and that suited Clark perfectly. Because he wasn't Batman, for goodness sake.

He smiled as he continued to swish the feathers over Lois's throat. She moaned as she tugged a little bit at her restraints, reassuring herself that she didn't have to do anything but lay still.

"You're doing great, Lois," Clark said as he moved the feathers down and around her stomach and Lois's breathing started to get deeper.

She whimpered as he brushed his way down to her pelvis before dipping the feathers slowly down her slit where he continued to draw them up and down the outside of her folds. Some whiny, needy sounds began to come out of Lois's throat and Clark beamed.

"That feels good, doesn't it?" he asked her and Lois breathed out a "yes." She didn't mind answering Clark when the answer was so easy that she didn't have to think about it, Clark had learned. And truthfully, he kind of loved the dialogue with her when they didn't use the gag. It was so affirming to hear how good he was making her feel and it got him even harder than he already was.

Clark teased her by taking the feathers away from her slit to stroke them up and down her thighs, and Lois whined in frustration.

"Sh, it's ok," Clark comforted her as he continued to pamper her. "Enjoy the build-up, sweetheart. It'll make it better." Lois moaned louder and began tugging at her restraints as Clark continued to torture her a little bit by keeping his attention on her thighs.

When she started to pant, Clark took the feathers away and picked up the container of massage oil. He warmed it briefly with his heat vision before pouring some onto his hands and starting to massage her thighs.

"Clark," Lois moaned as he worked the hot oil into her muscles with his very strong fingers.

"Does that feel good, honey?" he asked her.

"So good," she muttered, although she was wiggling her hips and trying to get him to move his fingers a little higher.

"Good," Clark answered her, briefly massaging the top of her mound which made her moan, but he took his hands away too soon without visiting her slit. He added more hot oil to his hands and began sliding them up and down her belly, nice and slow with a firm pressure, before spreading them under and over her breasts as Lois's moaning and writhing increased.

"You look so beautiful right now," Clark told her as he caressed and fondled her breasts with the oil as she lay with her arms and legs stretched out and restrained. Lois was keening and arching up as much as she could into his hands and her face had started to take on a blissful, tranced out smile.

Clark took a little more hot oil into his hands and moved back down her stomach before sliding his slick hands over her mound and finally dipping into her dripping slit. Lois groaned as he began working the oil up and down her already slippery folds, not quite touching her clit each time he worked the oil through her.

"Clark, _please_," she begged him, a desperate edge in her voice.

"What do you want, Lois?" he asked her, continuing to massage her folds.

"Your fingers inside me," she panted. "And touch my damn clit." Clark laughed and grabbed a little more oil so it would be nice and warm as he reached out and began to circle her clit with his left thumb while sliding two fingers of his right hand into her.

"Oh, God," Lois moaned as Clark began to pump her with the slippery, hot oil. "Fuck, yes," she murmured as he worked it into her g-spot with every firm thrust of his fingers, matching his thrusts with the pressure on her clit. She cried out sharply as he added a third finger and continued to pump them into her.

"That's it, sweetheart," Clark crooned to her, moving his left hand from her clit to massage her breasts again. "I've got you," he said as her panting became frantic. "Good girl," he murmured to her as her climax began to build. "Don't be afraid," he said, and Lois came hard with a loud cry.

"Don't stop!" she gasped as he continued to thrust inside of her while her pussy clenched tight around his fingers and she saw sparks.

"I'm not going to stop," Clark said as he kept stroking her hard. "I'm going to take good care of my girl."

Lois sobbed as another wave of her orgasm hit her, and Clark's fingers were in exactly the right place making her feel so damn good and he kept thrusting and thrusting until she squirted all over his hands and even then he didn't stop but kept pumping her as her aftershocks rippled through her while she fell apart sobbing.

"I love you," Clark said to her, his eyes burning with tenderness and moisture and love while he adjusted his fingers to a slow massage as Lois came down.

"I love you, too," Lois gasped as she sniffed and cried.

Clark undid the velcro bonds and moved to lay on top her, gently gathering her up in his arms as her tears flowed.

"I've got you," he whispered again. "It's ok," he said, and they both knew it was.

Lois liked the tears; she craved the release that it gave her from her infernal tension and stress. Clark gave her a soft kiss on her lips before pressing little kisses all over her temple and cheek and neck. When Lois sniffed and pulled his face to hers so she could kiss him back, he knew she was ready. But he still checked.

"**Ok?"** he asked her and she nodded so he took his cock and slid it into her. Lois sighed softly with pleasure as he entered her and she pulled him into a deeper kiss, loving the feel of her tongue in his mouth while his cock was deep inside her.

Clark began thrusting slowly at first so they could enjoy making love for a bit before ramping up his speed and intensity. He'd had to carefully figure out how hard he could thrust without hurting Lois when they'd first started having sex; one major downfall to being a Kyrptonian was that he had to be careful to stay in control no matter how turned on he was, because he could do major damage to Lois with his superior strength.

But monitoring and adjusting his pressure to keep Lois safe was second nature by now, since they'd been together for almost a year, and Clark, too, felt able to relax and enjoy the comfort of being with his familiar and well-loved partner without being overly stressed out during sex.

When Lois was ready to come again, Clark moved a hand down to her clit to help her get over the edge.

"God, Clark!" she cried as he thrust into just the right spot and she came a second time, squeezing her legs tight around his hard muscled waist and digging her fingernails into his back. Clark thrust a little harder and faster until he came too, groaning with pleasure as he emptied his cum inside of her in a long, drawn out orgasm that left him feeling happily wrung out in her arms.

"I love you so much," Lois said to him softly, meeting his eyes.

"I love you, too," Clark said with a warm smile as he pulled out and rolled her over into his arms to cuddle her. Lois tugged the covers up over them as she curled into his strong chest with a happy sigh.

"Clark?" she asked him after a little while.

"Yes, Lois?" he said drowsily.

"Will you move in and marry me?" she asked him in a tiny, quiet voice. Clark's eyes flew open as he turned his head to look at her.

"You're sure?" he asked her with a slow but hopeful smile starting to spread across his face.

Because Lois and he didn't keep separate apartments due to Clark's own preference. Lois had needed to go slowly as she was so unused to trusting people. She had wanted her own space with boundaries around it for a long time and Clark had been beautifully patient with her, never pushing for anything more than she wanted to give. He sensed that under her tough exterior, Lois was like a frightened animal in an intimate relationship who was likely to bolt as soon as she felt cornered.

They had been together for six months before she gave him a key and even then she had asked him not to drop by without calling first. Although that only lasted for about a month until she told him that he could come over whenever he wanted, to his great joy. For the last several months, Clark had been spending every night at Lois's place when she was in town and not off on an assignment. So he was more than ready to move in, but he had been willing to let Lois make that decision at her own pace.

But moving in _and _getting married? Clark really, really hoped that Lois meant it.

"I'm positive," she said, a radiant smile lighting up her face. "Seeing Diana and Lex tonight… I want that," she said. "But don't ever tell Lex I said that," she frowned and Clark laughed even though his eyes were filling up with emotional tears.

"Of course I'll move in and marry you," he said before kissing her so long and hard that it took her breath away.

"You've been so patient with me," Lois said when they finally took a breath to gaze at each other again.

"You're worth it," Clark said sincerely. "So worth it, Lois. And, for the record, we already had what Lex and Diana have. We had it first," he grinned. And Lois smiled back at him.

"I know," she said. "We did. But I want it all now. Living together and being married… all of it."

"We won't be able to go ring shopping until Monday," Clark pouted. "I'm going to be all tied up with the Justice League for the next three days."

"That's ok," Lois said. "I don't need a ring for our engagement to be official. Monday's fine."

"Do you have any ideas what style you want?" Clark asked her, figuring she probably did, because didn't every woman? Lois's eyes sparkled.

"I was thinking ruby and sapphire stones with a gold band," she said.

"What an attractive color scheme," Clark said with a teasing smile. "However did you think of it?"

"Oh, I don't know," Lois said airily. "I feel like I've seen it around. On some superhero or something."

"Well, if you see him, tell him he has pretty good taste," Clark grinned. Lois scoffed.

"He has the best taste, obviously. He's marrying Lois Lane," she said with a kiss.

* * *

_A/N If you skipped the kinky bits, all you need to know is that Lois likes some kinks because she's always so stressed out and it helps her relax and Clark is willing to go there with her. But they stay in character as themselves and don't roleplay as Dom and sub because that's not them. In this AU, anyway. _

_Also, please remember that Lois and Clark's kinks don't have to be your kinks, and that's ok. And, their kinks and personal preferences in this story are not a judgment on anyone else's. Plenty of people enjoy D/s play and ball gags and hardcore spanking and flogging and that's just fine as long as it's safe, sane, and consensual. I gave Clois what I felt would fit their tastes based on who they are in this story. _


	20. Chapter 20

_**Chapter 20**_

Lex was initially surprised when Diana ended her impromptu fashion show of new outfits from her shopping trip by putting her Wonder Woman uniform back on before they left to meet Aquaman down at the Metropolis docks to hand off Lex's nuclear codes, which she had placed inside a small waterproof backpack that she was wearing over her armor.

"Do you prefer to always wear your uniform for League business?" he asked her. "You're going to be chilly." Diana grinned at him.

"I prefer to wear it when I fly," she said. "Less wind resistance and I don't get sweaty. I thought I could fly us down to the docks…?" she asked Lex. "If you're up for it, that is." A slow smile spread over Lex's face.

"Diana," he said with pleasure. "I would be delighted to fly with you." Diana let out a bubbly giggle and practically skipped with glee as she came forward to grasp Lex's hand. "Is it ok if we leave through the balcony?" she asked him.

"Of course," Lex said. "I can lock the door behind us. Not that I suspect Superman of being a snoop, but… one never knows who might be flying around Metropolis at night," he laughed.

"You can't be too careful," Diana giggled as they walked into the crisp night air. She moved to stand behind Lex and slipped her arms around his chest. "Let me know if it's too much and you want me to land," she told him, but he turned his head over his shoulder to dazzle her with a confident smile.

"I'll be fine," he said.

"That's what I said about roller coasters," Diana said very seriously and Lex laughed low and hard.

"I love you, baby," he told her, turning around in her arms to kiss her for a minute. "No one has ever made me so happy," he said, and Diana's breath caught in her throat.

"It's the same for me with you," she told him, tightening their embrace to kiss him some more and feeling so loved and secure and happy that she couldn't help deepening their kiss until Lex finally broke it off.

"Aquaman will be cranky if we're late," he sighed.

"Aquaman is always cranky," Diana said dryly and Lex laughed as he turned back around so she could pick him up under the arms again. "Ready?" Diana asked him and Lex nodded, so she lifted up slowly and flew them out over the wide-paneled glass railing into the night sky.

Lex inhaled sharply.

"This is incredible," he breathed out, squeezing his hands over Diana's which were holding him tight.

"It never gets old," Diana said fondly. "I'm glad you like it," she said in his ear and even though she couldn't see it, she could feel the energy of Lex's smile wafting off of him.

"It's a bit like riding a hanging roller coaster, with you carrying me like this," he mused, "but gentler." Diana laughed.

"You can see why I wasn't prepared for the amusement park," she said and Lex chuckled.

"Humans and their insatiable need for thrills," he said. "We do like to push ourselves to our limits once in awhile."

"Just once in awhile?" Diana teased him, prompting a soft laugh from Lex.

"Well, perhaps I push myself to extremes more than most," he admitted. "I get bored so easily," he said. "The consequence of being a genius, I suppose," he said, and for once Lex's words lacked his trademark arrogance and simply sounded honest and even, maybe, a trifle frustrated.

"We'll have to make sure you have enough challenges in your life now that you're giving up crime," Diana said empathetically. "I want you to still be happy."

"I'll always be happy with you," Lex said immediately but he felt Diana shake her head from behind him.

"No, you won't," she said. "Not if you're not intellectually stimulated with your own projects and schemes and grand plans. And that's ok, Lex," she reassured him. "We all have needs. My need is to save the world," she said thoughtfully. "My inner drive to help was so strong that I abandoned my home and my family to be a superhero in man's world. I never would have been truly happy if I'd stayed on Themyscira."

Lex gently clasped her hands in his.

"Thank you for understanding me," he said softly. "For you to support me in being who I am, who I must be… it's more than I deserve, Diana."

Diana blinked away the tears that were forming in her eyes, because the awe-struck tone that so frequently filled Lex's voice at the privilege of being with her was doing wonders for her self-confidence which had been brought so dismally low by not only Bruce's rejection of her, but also by his quick turn-around to start dating Shayera.

"I love you so much," Diana said to Lex in a voice choked with some tears. He laughed gently.

"I can't believe you say that like you're the lucky one," he said as she started to descend towards Metropolis Harbor.

"Well," Diana sniffed, "I suppose it's the mark of a great relationship if we both think we're the lucky ones," she said, clearing her throat to try to keep Aquaman from seeing her as a weepy, emotional mess.

"I couldn't agree more," Lex said as they landed. As soon as he had his feet securely under him again, he turned to catch Diana's lips in a warm and tender kiss. Their tongues were slipping together in loving strokes and he was just starting to tangle his hand in her hair when they were interrupted by a loud chuckle from behind them.

Diana blushed a little bit as she and Lex turned to face an amused Aquaman, who had come up out of the water while they were otherwise occupied and was now standing imperiously on the docks, his trident in his hand as water dripped off of his long blonde hair.

"I see love has made slaves out of both of you," Arthur said. "How the mighty have fallen."

"You're one to talk," Diana said. "How's Mera?" she asked pointedly. Aquaman chuckled again.

"Very well, and my lovely wife sends her regards. The baby is teething right now or else she would have come along to say hello."

"I appreciate you coming out tonight," Lex said, moving forward to shake hands as if this was a normal business meeting, even though Arthur's hand was dripping wet. Aquaman raised his eyebrow but returned his handshake. Lex calmly wiped his hand on his pants to dry it after shaking, and Diana giggled. He turned to give her a questioning look.

"I never thought I'd see the great Lex Luthor wiping his hand on his pants," she said and Lex shook his head at her.

"Sassy," he said, but the teasing look in his eye had a heat to it that made Diana's heart race.

She took her backpack off and handed it to Aquaman, who unzipped it to examine the nuclear codes.

"I had them laminated," Lex said, "to hold up under water."

"Very wise," Arthur grunted, scanning the sheet. "Ten missiles?" he asked Lex, who nodded.

"We'll be giving the other half of the codes to my mother soon," Diana said. "Monday or Tuesday at the latest. But I already have them from Lex."

"Good," Arthur said, replacing the codes in the backpack and zipping it up before slinging it on his back. At least, he tried to put it on, but seeing as how he was much broader shouldered than Diana, the straps were too short.

"Let me help you," Diana said with a smile as she came forward and began adjusting them.

"I have a proposition for you, Luthor," Aquaman said as Diana fiddled with the backpack, "And for you as well, Wonder Woman," he said. They looked at him curiously.

"If you were able to obtain ten nuclear missiles," Arthur said to Lex, "why stop there?"

"Arthur!" Diana said in shock.

"Hear me out," he said to her. "You want peace for the surface dwellers. I want to avoid a nuclear holocaust that destroys the ocean. Luthor wants to be an evil genius. Why not work together to dismantle the rest of the earth's nuclear arsenal?"

"How?" Diana asked him as she finished loosening the straps and got the backpack properly situated. "By stealing more?"

"Yes," Arthur said with a little smile. Diana groaned. Lex laughed, but he shook his head.

"Arthur, Arthur," he said. "I've reformed."

"It would be for the greater good," Aquaman persisted. "For the safety of the earth. Surface dwellers can't be trusted with such destructive power. They'll kill us all one day."

"But we can't go stealing their missiles," Diana said rationally. "The Justice League would never agree to that."

"Why involve the Justice League?" Arthur said slyly. "You're strong enough to carry a single missile at at time, Diana," he said. "I can provide the underwater concealment to contain them. And Luthor can coordinate your tactical strategy to break into the nuclear facilities undetected."

"No," Diana said firmly. "Out of the question. Some League members already mistrust me because of Lex. And stealing the missiles wouldn't be right; the League has only just started working with the United Nations and they don't trust us that much, either. We can't do this, Arthur. Please give up this idea," she pleaded with him. He looked to Lex.

"What Diana said," Lex answered. Arthur grunted in disgust, much like Batman was fond of doing.

"This is why I haven't joined the Justice League," he said. "Too much concession to unworthy surface dwellers. They don't deserve your cooperation."

"Yet they have it," Diana said. "I'm sorry, Arthur. I know you have the world's best interests at heart, but we can't do this for you."

"Very well," Arthur sighed in resignation. "At least you provided me with the codes for Luthor's cache," he said somewhat disdainfully as he turned to leave.

"Give Mera my love," Diana called after him. She received another grunt as acknowledgement before Arthur dived off the dock and into the water. Diana looked at Lex and sighed.

"At least he wanted me to be a heroic villain," Lex chuckled. "It's a step up," he said, kissing Diana's nose and making her smile.

"Arthur loves to be difficult," Diana said bemusedly.

"Definitely not the friendliest fellow," Lex smiled back at her. "I give him points for creativity, though. If not for the difficulties it would cause you among the League, it was a well-thought out plan."

"That's high praise, coming from Lex Luthor," Diana laughed.

Lex smiled and slipped his arms around Diana's waist before leaning in to kiss her neck.

"Shall we return home?" he murmured in her ear before nipping the lobe. Diana shivered and pressed into him.

"I love the sound of that," she said contentedly. "Home." Lex couldn't agree more, because it really was a home now that his Diana had moved in, and he couldn't believe how much cozier it already felt with less than twenty-four hours of her presence in it.

As Aquaman swam towards Atlantis, his irritation only grew. He had hoped that the Amazon would have been more reasonable than the other members of the so-called Justice League, but she had proved just as stubborn and difficult as the rest of them. A shame, because he knew that her mother Queen Hippolyta had strong feelings about the planet's health and well-being.

In fact, Hippolyta might not be so opposed to his plan. And she didn't belong to any pesky do-gooder leagues that did nothing but capitulate to the irresponsible whims of the earth's corrupt governing bodies… Arthur began to smile. Perhaps Mera should pay a visit to Themyscira…

Vixen was pounding on John's door for five solid minutes the next morning before she sighed in relief as the locks turned and a groggy John swung the door open.

"John!" she said, moving inside his dim apartment before turning to examine him more closely. "I was so worried about you! You weren't answering your phone or the League comms. I was about to call out my elephant to break your door down."

"Sorry," John muttered, blinking slowly as he rubbed his aching head. "Rough night," he said.

"What happened?" Vixen asked him with concern.

"Jack and Coke," John muttered, dragging himself over to his dinette and slumping into a chair.

"Mm," Vixen murmured sympathetically. "Well, I'm just glad you're safe."

"Yeah," John said slowly. "I don't actually remember how I got home last night," he admitted with some shame.

Vixen's lips pinched with worry, but all she said was, "At least you got here. And you don't have a car, so you know you didn't drink and drive." She moved into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee but kept the lights off to spare John's hangover. "Where do you keep your aspirin?" she asked him.

"Bathroom medicine cabinet," he said, propping his head up on the arm sprawled across his table.

"I'll get you some," Vixen said, filling a glass of water for him on the way. "Drink this all down," she said when she came back with the pills and saw he'd only taken a sip of the water. "You need to rehydrate."

"Yes ma'am," John said with a slight tease to his voice. She smiled at him and bent down to kiss his cheek.

"I would've come over if you'd called me," she said to him gently, so he wouldn't take it as a criticism. John sighed long and hard.

"I didn't feel right calling you," he said to her, meeting her eyes with a little bit of shame. Vixen clucked her tongue at him as she went to pour them both mugs of coffee.

"John, we're both mature adults," she said to him as she sat down at the table and slid his mug over to him. "I know you were in love with Shayera. I get it," she said. "And," she continued, "I know you still have feelings for her, too." John groaned and hung his head, too embarrassed to meet his girlfriend's eyes.

"Hey," she said to him softly, reaching out to rub his arm. "I knew that coming into our relationship, John. You weren't hiding anything from me. Ok?" she said. "But you know what I also know? You're not with her now. You're with me. Even after she came back to the League, you've stayed with me. And that means something, John."

He slowly turned his head to look at her.

"I do want this to work between us, Mari," he said, even though the slightly wistful tone in his voice said that he still wasn't sure if it would.

But Mari said, "I know. And as long as we stay together, maybe it will. Hm? Who can predict the future?" John gave her a small smile as she leaned in to kiss him tenderly.

"Besides," Vixen said, "we both know you're way more upset about Batman than Shayera." Her eyes were full of sympathy as she spoke and John jerked in surprise, because yeah - he _was _more upset about Batman, and how the hell did Mari know that?

Losing Shayera hurt; even though John had already tried to pull the plug on their relationship, as long as she was single his heart wouldn't shut up about the chance of them finding a happy ending one day. But Batman dating her? Batman his friend, his ally, his comrade in arms? That wound was so much deeper.

And Mari got that? Without him saying so? Well. That was something.

"You know me surprisingly well," he said to her. She smiled at him as she traced the lip of her coffee mug with a beautifully manicured finger.

"I may have picked up on one or two things," she said with a twinkle in her eye. And John couldn't help smiling back at her.

"Now, I hate to break it to you, boo," Vixen sighed, "but J'onn needs you back on the Watchtower this morning after all. He's been trying to call you since late last night."

"He's the one who told me to take a few days off," John grumbled. "Stay on earth, he said."

"I know," Vixen purred. "But the Legion of Doom sting op got set for Sunday night so J'onn called a Founders Meeting for 10 a.m. and all hands on deck at 1. We're going to be doing mission prep for the next three days straight until the raid." John growled in frustration.

"If only he'd set that up before my date with Jack," he muttered.

"I know, honey," Vixen said with empathy and reached over to rub circles on his back. "But it's still early," she said. "I thought maybe we could go eat at the corner diner first? And then head up to the Watchtower together?"

"Well," John said with a slightly playful grin, "I've never flown you through outer space, have I?" Vixen's eyebrows shot up.

"No, you have not," she said with a slowly answering grin. "I believe it's high time that you introduced me to that thrill," she said with a little laugh. "You know I like to arrive in style."

"Yes, you do," John said to her, beginning to look a little more cheerful.

"Come on, boo," Vixen said to him, standing up and pulling him to his feet. "Let's go get breakfast."

"All right," John said. He surprised her by pulling her into a tight hug that was less sensual than needy, holding onto her longer than he normally would have.

"Hey," Vixen said softly, squeezing him tighter. "I'm here for you."

"I really do appreciate you," John said to her in her ear.

"I know," she said warmly, giving him a light peck on the lips before he released her. As she turned to follow him out the door, her eyes landed on something crumpled up on the floor. Something that looked odd.

"John?" she asked him, moving to pick it up and smooth it out. "What's this?" she asked him, before glancing down to read Bruce and Shayera's 'thanks for being an asshole' card. "What the fuck?" she snapped angrily to no one before looking up to meet John's deeply wounded eyes.

"Those _bastards_," Vixen fumed. "This is why you went out drinking?" she asked him and John looked away in embarrassment.

"Oh, hell no," Vixen said with fury. "I am going to have words with the two of them when we get back to the station."

"Mari, it's fine," John tried to say. "Don't make a big deal out of it -"

"Don't make a big deal out of it?" Mari said. "Uh-uh. No. They do not get to speak to my man this way. Not happening." Something warm flickered to life in John's eyes but Mari was too busy pacing the apartment to see it.

"Calling you an asshole," she muttered. "As if they're not the two biggest assholes on the goddamn team. Pair of juvenile brats is what they are."

"Baby," John said, reaching his hand to her. She turned back to him and took his hand.

"Yes?" she asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"You're an amazing woman," he said sincerely.

"Oh!" she said with startled pleasure as John leaned in and really kissed her this time, pressing in deep with lots of tongue and dropping her hand only so he could bring both of his up to frame her face. He stroked her cheeks gently with his thumbs as he kept on kissing her, and as Mari reached out to cradle his waist, she felt a spark of something in their kiss that quite possibly had never been there before.

She was out of breath by the time John pulled back and the tender look in his eyes put a warm little zing into her heart.

"Let's go get breakfast," he said to her. "And then you can tell them off."

"Ok," Mari beamed at him and let John lead her out the door. As they stepped out onto the New York sidewalk, John wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her in close to his side, and it wasn't with his normal, slick sexiness. It was with affection.


	21. Chapter 21

_**Chapter 21**_

J'onn and Clark were in the Founders Hall on the Watchtower at 9:45 a.m. talking quietly with each other as Batman and Shayera set up their tactical slides and handouts in preparation for the Founders' meeting at ten when Vixen stormed in. Alone.

"Vixen," J'onn said, raising his eyebrow. "Were you unable to rouse the Green Lantern?"

"He's in the commissary getting coffee," she said briskly as she strode over to Batman and Shayera. "We need to have a word," she said coldly to the two heroes. It was Shayera's turn to raise a silent eyebrow.

"So have a word," Batman said back, equally cold but also impassive behind his cowl.

"You really want to do this here?" Vixen said, motioning her arm to Clark and J'onn, who were looking uncomfortably curious.

"Do what?" Shayera said impatiently. "If you have something to say to us, just say it, Mari."

"Thanks for being an asshole?" Vixen said sarcastically. "Ring any bells?" Shayera made the unfortunate mistake of snorting in amusement and Batman's lips twitched in matching mirth.

"Oh, you think that's funny?" Vixen said, stepping closer to them and beginning to crowd their personal space. "You think it's funny to attack the most loyal, dedicated, hard-working member of this League? John would sacrifice anything for either one of you!" she snapped.

The Flash's jaw dropped as he stepped through the doorway and heard Vixen's words. He glanced at Clark and J'onn in a panic before silently backing out of the room, turning and running off in a blur as soon as he was clear of the door.

"John would do anything for this League, no matter how you all treat him, because he has principles," Vixen was continuing in a low, angry voice. "You would never see John stabbing his friends in the back like this," she said with vicious accusation. "No matter how angry he was at you, John would never stoop this low. He didn't even vote you out of the League, Shayera!" Vixen said angrily.

"No," Shayera said coldly, "he just told Batman that he shouldn't be dating me because John might want me for himself one day if things between you two don't work out." Vixen laughed in disbelief.

"You're going to hold what the man said when he was angry and hurt against him?" she said. "And do something so childish and petty to wound him?"

"He was being an asshole," Batman said calmly.

"We said 'thank you,'" Shayera grinned.

"John was being the asshole?" Vixen said sarcastically. "You think _John _was the asshole? You're his war buddy!" she said to Batman accusingly. "Or as good as. And you didn't even talk to him about dating his ex!" Batman huffed.

"It just happened," he glowered at her. "And last time I checked, who I date is none of his business. What, was I supposed to call and ask his permission first in between making out with Shy and fucking her?" Shayera snickered and the corner of Batman's lips quirked up in response.

"You were supposed to respect the fact that he's your friend," Vixen said seriously, putting her hands on her hips. "And that he trusted you, Batman. You had every opportunity to call him and tell him privately the next day. And instead, he had to hear it from someone else. In public!"

"It's just sad," she said with disgust, "that he matters so little to you that you couldn't be his brother when he needed you to be," she said. "Because John thinks the world of you and he would never have treated you like this."

"He told me not to date Shy!" Batman said in frustration. "And he was treating her like shit. Maybe he should have had more respect for her if he didn't want to get an asshole card."

Vixen shook her head slowly at him.

"When has John ever disrespected Shayera?" she said. "Really, when? Tell me. What he said to you privately _after _you embarrassed and hurt him doesn't count and you know it." She looked at Shayera. "And you know it, too," she said in a tone that didn't brook disagreement.

Shayera's green eyes flashed with guilt and she dropped them to the floor, crossing her arms over her chest uncomfortably. Batman grunted. Reluctantly.

"It was just that he went off on Batman like that," Shayera said quietly after a long pause.

"And he was attacking Shy," Batman mumbled.

"I swear to God, you two are children," Vixen muttered under her breath, pressing an elegant hand to her head.

"Now you know how we feel," Clark said dryly from behind her, his super-hearing not missing her quiet comment.

"Indeed," J'onn rumbled. "The parenting support group meets tonight at seven," he said. "We'll save you a seat."

Vixen began to quietly chuckle before turning her head to regard Clark and J'onn with a twinkle in her dark eyes.

"You poor dears," she said to them sympathetically as Batman huffed. Her eyes shot back to him, cold and hard again.

"Grow. Up." she said sharply to him and Shayera. "John is a good man and you hurt him."

"I'll… apologize," Batman grumbled out with perhaps a hint of shame in his voice.

"Me, too," Shayera said quietly, with more regret apparent. Vixen held their gaze for another few disquieting seconds before firmly nodding her head and spinning on her heel to walk away. But she tenderly hugged Clark and then J'onn before making her exit, rolling her eyes up to heaven as they embraced and getting knowing looks in return.

Meanwhile, down in the commissary, John was filling up an extra large tumbler with black coffee when Diana walked in and noticed him.

"Oh! John," she said, slightly nervously. "Could we talk for a minute?" John sighed heavily.

"Does it have to be right now?" he asked her grumpily. "My head is killing me."

"Another time, then," Diana said quickly, turning away from him as she filled her own mug. A pang of guilt went through John's chest.

"No, I'm sorry," he said, reaching out to touch her arm. "What did you want to talk about, Princess?" he asked her, striving for at least a neutral tone.

"Well - could we sit down for a minute?" she asked him. John nodded and she followed him to a table with her mug of coffee in hand. He thoughtfully dissolved the dark glasses that he had fashioned for his face so that he could look her in the eyes, and the hint of openness in that gesture gave Diana courage.

"I know it took us some time to bond when we first formed the League," Diana said cautiously, "but I feel that we've become friends since then. And… it troubles me that my relationship with Lex is coming in between our friendship," she finished more softly. "If there's anything I can do to reassure you, John…" she trailed off. John sighed, thinking of how he'd felt last night after getting Batman and Shayera's unexpected card.

"I'm sorry I haven't been kinder to you, lately," he said heavily. "I don't agree with you dating Lex. But… I shouldn't have been so rude about it." Diana blinked and gave him a tiny smile.

"Thank you, John. That means a lot to hear you say that," she said. He nodded at her. "Is there anything I can do?" she asked him, though. "I know it will take time to trust in Lex's sincerity, but he really is changing for me." John rubbed his jaw, looking for the right words.

"Diana," he said finally. "I'm a military man. Marine through and through. You believe that people can change. I've never had that luxury. In the desert, you don't have space for hopes and wishes and pretty fairy tales. You have one job - to protect your own."

"That's all I know how to do and to be honest, that's all I want to do," John said. "If you let your guard down for one second out there, your brother could be bleeding out next to you. I don't want that for you. I don't want that for the League. I can't be who I'm not," he said.

Diana's blue eyes had filled with some tears and were softly shining at him with empathy.

"You've lost a lot of friends," she gently intuited. John tightened his jaw and nodded as he looked away for a minute.

"In my line of work," he said finally, looking back at her, "there are lines you don't cross. There are sacrifices you make. It's the nature of the mission. It's the role of the few and the proud. If it were up to me, you wouldn't be allowed to date Lex and stay in the League."

"But you let Shayera stay after the Thanagarian invasion," Diana said softly.

"I recused myself from the vote," John muttered, but they both knew that he didn't have a problem with Shayera's continuing role in the League.

"How is she different?" Diana persisted.

"She was a soldier who had a military mission," John said. "She was kept in the dark about its consequences for life on Earth. She chose to go against her own people to save us. Lex…" he paused.

"Lex is an evil genius bent on world domination who has gone up against the Justice League time and time again, of his own initiative," John said. "He's tried to murder Superman on multiple occasions. He thrives on schemes and plots and deception and he's so nefarious that his cover operations have cover operations."

"Does that mean he's incapable of changing?" John said as Diana chewed her lip. "My Nana would say that everyone is capable of being a better person today than they were yesterday. But for a League member to willingly date someone like Lex?" John shook his head. "The risks are too great and his track record is too poor." Diana sighed.

"It's not my call, though," John said, standing up as he looked at the clock. "But I'll try not to ruin our friendship over it anymore," he said as Diana stood, too. "All right?"

"Ok," Diana said with a slightly sad smile, but she moved and gave him a hug, which took John off guard. He and the Princess had never been touchy-feely types of friends. Maybe it was from being hungover, or from his distress over Bats and Shayera, or maybe it was because hugging Mari that morning had felt so nice, but John found himself actually leaning into the hug a little bit and giving the Amazon a tight squeeze.

"It's not that I want you to be unhappy," he said as they separated.

"I know," Diana said as she moved beside him to walk down to the Founders' Hall together.

"Trust me, I'd much rather Batman was dating you than Shayera," John said and Diana spluttered into laughter.

"I bet you would," she mused.

"Seriously, though, Diana," John said as they walked. "If Lex does anything out of the ordinary or something that worries you, will you come to me? I promise not to overreact," he said holding his hands up. "But I know things with you and Batman are complicated right now and you might not want to go to him with concerns about your new boyfriend. I can be a go-between," he said.

"Lex might count on you not wanting to tarnish his reputation by raising our suspicions over little things that could add up to be significant. Just in case he _is _trying to deceive you." Diana sighed.

"That's wise," she said diplomatically. "I'll keep you in the loop, John," she said. "I promise. I do take our League security very seriously," she said. "But Lex hasn't done anything so far except carry through on his promises to reform."

"Just in case," John said and Diana nodded.

"Aquaman worried me last night, though," Diana said. "I was going to bring it up at the Founders' Meeting." John raised an eyebrow.

"What happened?" he said.

"Lex and I went down to the docks together to give him the nuclear codes," Diana said. "And Aquaman asked me and Lex to work with him to steal more nukes that he could squirrel away underwater for safekeeping."

"Seriously?" John said in surprise.

"Yes," Diana said, frowning more. "And he suggested that we do it without the Justice League's knowledge."

"That's somewhat alarming," John said. "Lex wasn't on board with it?"

"Oh, no, not at all," Diana laughed. "And Aquaman didn't want them for an arsenal. He wanted them so he could protect the planet from the threat of nuclear weapons ever being used. The radiation from the fallout would destroy the oceans."

"But he wanted you to steal them," John clarified.

"He likes to do things his own way," Diana said dryly. John grunted.

"Talk about someone who's difficult," he muttered and Diana laughed in agreement.

Just as they rounded the corner, they met Vixen who was on her way out of Founders' Hall. John chuckled.

"Did they cower in fear before my strong, supportive woman?" he asked her, pulling her into a kiss as Diana looked on curiously. Mari smirked.

"You know it," she said proudly. "I got your back, babe," she said, and John's eyes looked truly happy for once as he smiled at her.

"Thank you," he said quietly. She gave him one more quick kiss.

"Let me know if they don't grovel enough," she called over her shoulder as she proudly strutted away with a little wave to Diana.

"What was that about?" Diana asked him as the Flash came down the hallway and sped to a stop behind them.

"Is it safe to go in yet?" Wally asked them, nervously hiding behind Diana and John's shoulders and forcing them ahead of him into Founders' Hall.

"What?" Diana said, even more confused. But John chuckled.

"Mari just left," he told Wally, who breathed a sigh of relief.

"I can't take this stress anymore," Wally moaned, slinging his arms over both of their shoulders so he could walk in between them. "Thank goodness you two are talking again," he said cheerfully. "Everything's better between you?"

"Well, everything's respectfully friendly," Diana said, glancing at John, who nodded his agreement with a little smile.

"Good," Wally sighed.

"Oh, Wally," Clark called out to him as they entered the room. He picked up a large box from the conference table and handed it to him. "I brought you a triple chocolate cake from that fancy bakery by the Daily Planet."

"Gee, thanks, big guy!" Wally said with pleasure. "Just for me?" he asked him curiously.

"Just for you," Clark said firmly. J'onn smiled.

"It is from both of us," the Martian Manhunter said. "Because you are our favorite child," he said loudly, looking around the room at the other four founding members, who had the good grace to look somewhat abashed.

"Aww, Dads," Wally said. "Come here," he said, giving them both hugs and sloppy kisses on the cheeks.

Diana giggled and moved to sit down at the table as Batman and Shayera slowly walked over to John.

"John," Shayera started out guiltily. "I'm sorry," she said, meeting his eyes with regret before letting them fall back to the floor in shame. Batman sighed heavily. John looked at him, his facial expression not giving anything away. Because he and Shayera had history, and had hurt and hurt alike many times over, and her lashing out hadn't cut so deep.

But Batman? John didn't want to give away how deeply the Dark Knight had pained him. Especially if the man couldn't even bring himself to give a decent apology. But Batman rallied himself, let out something between a growl and a groan and - holy shit, wrapped his arms around John and hugged him tight.

"I'm sorry I suck at relationships," Bats muttered in his ear. "You deserve a better friend."

"Not gonna argue with that," John choked out sarcastically against Batman's kevlar-covered shoulder as he blinked hard to keep his tears at bay. The Bat sighed but kept holding him for a minute longer.

"I'll do better," he said gruffly.

"Ok," John said thickly, meeting his eyes as Bats released him. Bruce hesitated.

"I might not always know what better is," he said.

"Well," John said, clearing his throat as they moved to sit at the table, "I know Mari will be more than happy to explain it to you. As needed."

Was that a shiver that passed through the Bat? John couldn't help but laugh a little bit as the rest of the Founders seated themselves to begin the meeting. He pulled his phone out to send a quick text to Mari.

_Thanks, baby, _he wrote, adding a little heart afterwards. Which was not like him. But he was feeling it this morning.

_Anytime, boo, _Mari wrote back.


	22. Chapter 22

_**Chapter 22**_

"Let's begin the meeting," J'onn said as soon as all of the Founders were seated at the conference table. "You're all aware that our raid on the Legion of Doom is Sunday night. Each Founder will be leading a smaller team of heroes who will target a few specific villains during the operation."

"Batman and Shayera have carefully assigned the teams and their opponents in order to maximize our effectiveness against the villains that Lex expects to be present. Four Founder-led teams will be inside the complex for the primary assault, and three will cover the exterior for escapees and to assist on backup as needed."

"However," J'onn said, "before I turn the meeting over to Batman, we have some other matters to discuss."

Shayera looked down at the table but Batman sat stoically without blinking. Diana and John sighed, suspecting what was coming. Flash was looking around nervously, but when he saw that both J'onn and Clark's glares were directed at the other team members and not at him, he began to relax.

"Yesterday's emotional outbursts were not only destructive to the integrity of the Founders' team unity, but they were damaging to the Justice League as a whole," J'onn said severely. "And before I start naming names, rest assured that four of you are equally to blame. Wally, obviously, had nothing to do with it."

"Which is why we bought him a cake," Clark said dryly.

"Which I appreciate, Big Guy," Wally said happily.

"We have taken the stance that who each of you dates is your own business and a freedom that you are entitled to. However, the interpersonal rivalries that have arisen have affected all of us," J'onn said.

"Diana, tactlessly and vocally announcing Batman and Shayera's relationship to John in the commissary yesterday alerted every other League member present that the Founders are splintering," he went on. "And John, storming out to obviously confront Batman worsened their impression."

"I'm sorry," Diana said humbly. "Truly, I am. I didn't think," she said guiltily.

"Me, neither," said John. Wonder Woman and Green Lantern's eyes met in mutual chagrin with a hint of reconciliation and understanding.

"Indeed," said J'onn. "You did not think, and now we are asking the other League members to trust us to lead them into battle against more villains than we have ever faced at one time. Villains who, until recently, have been commanded by Diana's boyfriend, Lex Luthor."

Diana sighed with regret.

"Furthermore," J'onn said, "while I have not been reading individual minds, I am sensing an overwhelming concern on the Watchtower this morning that this sting operation is a trap by Lex Luthor to attack and kill the Justice League."

"No," Diana said with concern. "Will the rest of the members be willing to participate?"

"We shall see," J'onn said. "Batman and Shayera have meticulously planned the assault teams and should those teams need to be rearranged, it would take time and slow our preparations and possibly weaken our offensive advantage."

"And speaking of Batman and Shayera," J'onn said, "I trust that Vixen has thoroughly reprimanded both of you as to your thoughtlessness in not informing Diana and John privately of your new relationship, which was the impetus for their outbursts yesterday and therefore, for the League's weakened trust in the Founders."

John hid a smile behind his hand as Wally shuddered at the memory of the tongue-lashing that he had inadvertently walked in on.

"I did inform Diana privately," Batman said, but for once he said it with a sigh instead of with snark.

"But I didn't," Shayera said quickly, reaching out to lay her hand over Batman's gloved one. "I didn't realize the impact that it would have on our friendship, Diana. I'm sorry," she said, meeting Diana's eyes with genuine regret. "Earth customs are much different from Thanagarian ones. It wasn't my intention to hurt you."

Diana ground her jaw and didn't answer, but Shayera saw wounded pain in her friend's eyes instead of anger, which made her feel worse.

"Perhaps we could talk more about it later?" Shayera asked tentatively. Diana glanced over at Clark who gave her an encouraging smile, and she sighed.

"Very well," she grumbled, not exactly graciously, but it was the best that she could do.

Diana knew that Lex had counseled her against taking Shayera's actions personally, but they still hurt her so much. But for the sake of the Justice League? And for Lex? And, if she was being honest, for the principles of friendship and love, which Diana did believe in even if she'd been having an off day yesterday, the princess would force herself to parlay.

"Thank you," Shayera said with relief, and Batman gave Diana the slightest inclination of a head nod, expressing his thanks, too. Which was another layer of pain, but Diana understood the sentiment behind it.

"Good," said J'onn briskly. "With that, I will turn the meeting over to Batman to go over our tactical details as they now stand. The Founders will reconvene at four p.m. after the All Hands meeting to discuss if our plans need to be altered based on the League members' willingness or reluctance to move forward with the operation."

"Our current plan, if you look at your notes," Batman began, "is for myself and J'onn, Clark, and Shayera to lead the interior assault while the Flash, Green Lantern, and Wonder Woman stay outside on backup."

"What?" Diana said in alarm. "No, I want to be inside."

"So you can protect Lex if needed," Shayera said to her.

"Well, yes," Diana frowned. "None of you are his biggest fans. He's risking a lot for this operation and I don't want him to get hurt."

"That is a risk that he must take," J'onn said decisively. "And, I might add, given his past villainy, it is a risk that he is not entitled to avoid."

"If you were to lead an interior team, Diana, your focus would need to be on your team members and your assault targets," said Clark. "Your desire to protect Lex would distract you and put not only your teammates but the entire operation in jeopardy."

"But - " Diana said in frustration.

"Lex is a smart guy," Batman said. Diana's eyes flew to his. She was surprised to see a measure of compassion in them. "He knows how to protect himself," the Bat said. "I have no doubt that he has twelve different plans in place already to account for his own safety plus a cache of hidden weapons at his disposal."

Diana bit her lip, trying not to argue. Hera, she knew it made her look weak and vulnerable and like a liability to her teammates, but how was she supposed to stay outside during the battle, knowing that Lex was inside in danger?

"Lex will be wearing kevlar," Batman said reassuringly. "I brought some different styles for you to take back to Metropolis for him to try on."

"Ok," Diana said softly. It wasn't ok, though. Not at all. She was an Amazon and a founding member of the Justice League and even with the joy of waking up this morning in their shared penthouse for the first time, Diana still believed with all her heart that her duty to the League came above her relationship with Lex.

It was a question of honor. And responsibility. And duty. And sacrifice.

She understood and believed that. She did. She thought she did.

Until she sat faced with the reality of having to wait powerless on the outskirts of the battle while Lex faced danger without her. And now she wanted to scream and rage and impose her will on her teammates and friends and Hera, even cancel the operation if she couldn't be by Lex's side keeping him safe from all harm.

She swallowed. And gritted her teeth. But she kept silent as Wally gave her a sympathetic glance.

"Deployment is always harder on the military spouses than on the troops," John said quietly at her elbow. Diana turned to look at him. He shrugged.

"Going into battle, that's the easy part. Waiting? And feeling powerless? That's what's hard," he said gently. Diana blinked as some tears filled her eyes and she gave John a tight smile as she nodded.

John let out a reluctant sigh, but he reached over and squeezed Diana's hand, even though he really didn't want to comfort her over Lex fucking Luthor. But the Martian Manhunter had been right, earlier; John, too, had hurt the team and the League so it was his job now to work to turn that situation around.

Diana's smile got a little easier, although her eyes got a little more watery as she squeezed John's hand back.

"Thank you," she said. "I didn't expect to feel this way."

"But you understand why you have to be assigned outside," Batman said, and it wasn't really a question, but Diana nodded.

"Yes," she said. "Yes, I see why I shouldn't be leading a team near where Lex is."

"Good," J'onn said with relief.

The rest of the meeting went smoothly as Batman outlined each member's tactical plans, until he got to the Green Lantern.

"John, your team will include Supergirl, Vigilante, Fire -" He cut himself off as John cried out in pain.

"John!" Diana said in surprise as Shayera's eyes widened in concern. Diana reached over to hold his shoulders as he bent over the table, his hand on his head, while he clenched his jaw and moaned softly.

Batman frowned. The Green Lantern's military training combined with his disdain for showing weakness meant that he had to be in severe distress.

"J'onn?" Batman asked, glancing down at their telepath, who had narrowed his eyes as he concentrated on John's mental patterns.

"I sense nothing unusual," J'onn said slowly. "Perhaps his hangover is malingering?"

"You got drunk last night?" Wally asked him, despite the fact that John was still grimacing in pain. "Not too smart when we had a meeting this morning."

"I was told," John snarked as he took a deep breath and rubbed his temples, "to stay on Earth for the weekend and enjoy my time off. What can I say?" he grumbled. "I follow orders."

"My apologies," J'onn said with a slight crinkle at the corner of his mouth. "I did not have the information regarding the date of our assault until last night."

"Yeah, yeah," John muttered, slowly sitting up.

"Did you drink enough water?" Batman asked him with what almost looked like a playful grin threatening to burst out onto his face as he turned his head to the side and caught Shayera's eye, who bit her lip to keep a giggle in.

"I drank water at breakfast," John sulked. "Mari made sure of that."

"Did you put cayenne and lemon in it?" Shayera asked him.

"What?" John said in confusion, looking over at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"I've heard that adding cayenne and lemon to your morning-after water is an excellent hangover cure," Shayera said, her lips definitely starting to quirk as she stole a sideways glance at Batman.

Diana felt a pang in her heart as she watched their subtle flirtations and she wondered if John was feeling it, too, but he seemed like he was in too much physical distress to be paying much attention to his ex and her new lover. Diana took a deep breath, though, and forced herself to mentally confront the reality of Batman and Shayera. Truthfully, the Amazon warrior had to admit to herself that getting drunk and suffering through a hangover was not her idea of a good time.

Especially the idea of spending time with a hungover Bruce. He was grumpy on a good day. Hungover? Diana shuddered. Maybe… maybe Shayera was a better match for Bruce, like everyone had been telling her. Because Shayera and Bruce were both acting like they'd enjoyed their mutual misery. Hm.

And Lex definitely wouldn't care for getting drunk. Diana knew that without even asking him. He valued control too highly and enjoyed more sophisticated, refined pleasures. Like she did. That thought didn't completely ease her heartache, but it did lift her spirits.

"I'll get you some lemon cayenne water, GL," the Flash said, jumping up and zooming off to the commissary. He was back seconds later with a tall, sealed reusable bottle. "Here ya go, hangover water, just for you," he said, handing it to John.

"Thanks," John mumbled, unscrewing the lid and taking a sip. He grimaced as it hit his tongue and swallowed quickly. "Holy shit!" he yelled. "How much cayenne did you put in here, Flash?"

"Uh, I don't know?" Wally said cheerfully. "A bunch, I guess."

"Ugh," John said, but he kept sipping at it. "Well, if it works," he muttered. "Sorry about that, everyone," he said, looking around the table. "You can keep going, Batman," he said and the Dark Knight nodded.

"As I was saying," he said, and the meeting continued.

Afterwards, Shayera whispered something to Batman and came over to Diana.

"Would you like to get lunch together?" the redhead asked her. "We could eat it in my room if you want, so we could talk privately."

No, Diana really did not want to, but she was an Amazon warrior and they were nothing if not brave.

"All right," Diana said. Shayera gave her a small but relieved smile as they fell into step together and headed down the hall.

"Ladies," Wally said as he strolled by them slowly for once, his precious gourmet chocolate cake in his hands. "Don't be asking me for any of this deliciousness, because it is all mine," he sang.

"Your commitment to your virginity is admirable," Shayera said with a sly smile. "Far be it from me to tempt you to give it up." Wally gasped as Diana couldn't help but giggle.

"Shayera," she said in a mildly scolding tone, but Wally quickly recovered.

"So you think I'm delicious, hm?" he asked Shayera, leaning into her with a suave smirk and an eyebrow wiggle.

"Oh, please," Shayera said, rolling her eyes but Diana laughed.

"You walked into that one," she said. Shayera huffed.

"Hey Bats, your girl thinks I'm delicious!" Wally called over her shoulder.

"Her man thinks you're delirious," Batman shot back, but he sounded slightly more amused than annoyed, which was… new, Diana thought. Very new. And kind of nice, actually, if she could get her hurt feelings enough out of the way to admit it. Bruce had never been prone to banter with anyone, really. And she had wanted him to be happier, and… well… she had never felt happier herself than she had felt this past week with Lex. It was just unfair that the aftermath of her and Bruce hurt so much.

Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out to check her text message as they continued walking towards the commissary, Batman slowly catching up to them now that he'd been drawn into the conversation by Wally.

_Love you, baby, _Lex had written. _Waking up with you only one room away was pure bliss. _

A happy little giggle escaped Diana's lips, causing the group's eyes to land on her, but she didn't even notice as her thumbs flew across her screen to write back.

_I love you, too, Lex, _she wrote. _I can't wait to come HOME to you tonight. _She added some little heart emojis before hitting send, and only then noticed the amused glances of her friends and blushed.

"I, um," she stammered.

"It's sweet how you don't lust after me like Shayera does," Wally said thoughtfully. "I bet Lex appreciates that."

"Oh my God, Wally, you're dead," Shayera said threateningly. "You and your cake," she said, suddenly reaching for it.

"No!" Wally yelped, clutching it to his chest as he raced off down the hall to Batman's quiet snickers.

"It's ok, Shy," Bats said to her. "I know you were only lusting after his cake."

"As if," she scoffed. "I don't care where that cake is from. It can't hold a candle to Alfred's."

"No wonder he likes you so much," Bats said affectionately.

"Oh, Diana," Shayera said, turning to her. "Did you hear we're finally getting a real chef up here on the Watchtower? Alfred shamed Bruce into it."

"Really?" Diana said. "Just when I'm moving down to Earth. Nice timing, Bruce," she said with some teasing sarcasm. He grunted.

"Like Lex can't hire his own chef," he said. Diana raised her eyebrow.

"That doesn't make up for the quality of the food I've had to endure up until now."

"You and me, both, sister," Shayera said with feeling. "Do you know, Alfred almost cried when he heard that we had to eat frozen biscuits. He cried, Bruce," she said, poking him in the shoulder. "You made your butler cry."

"It wasn't the first time," Bruce muttered, but he looked like he was holding back laughter as he said it. Shayera snorted.

"Why he puts up with you," she said.

"He's British," Bruce said. "Stiff upper lip and all that."

"I have no idea what that means," Shayera said honestly.

"Me neither," said Diana in equal confusion. Bruce sighed.

"Go have your girl talk," he grumbled. "Are you going to be friends again? Please?" Diana hesitated. Bruce's pleading tone mixed with Shayera's equally pleading eyes started to soften some of the hardness that had coated her heart.

"We'll try," Diana said. She could only hope that they could figure out how to succeed.


	23. Chapter 23

_**Chapter 23**_

"So," Shayera said bravely, sitting on her bed with her lunch in front of her in her stark Watchtower quarters while Diana sat on the metal stool in front of her desk.

"So," Diana echoed with much less enthusiasm as she stabbed a piece of chicken with her fork. Shayera sighed.

"It was never my intention to hurt you," she said. "But, to be honest, I'm still not entirely sure why you're upset." Diana gave her a sharp look and Shayera held her hands up. "I want you to explain it to me. Ok?" she said and Diana reluctantly bit back her harsh words.

"Well, you know things were strained between us after the Thanagarian invasion," Diana began and Shayera frowned but nodded. Strained was an understatement. Diana had been furious at her and voted her out of the League. She had been unforgiving, to say the least, when Superman had broken the tied vote and allowed Shayera to remain.

"I thought we were reconnecting that day in the cafeteria," Diana said. "When we talked about how much Bruce had hurt me."

"That was a good day," Shayera agreed. "But given that I didn't repeat anything that you told me that day to Bruce, I don't understand what I did that made you so angry."

"I thought you were empathizing with me," Diana said. "And that you agreed with me about how badly Bruce had treated me."

"I did," Shayera said as she scooped her cranberry sauce onto her chicken sandwich. "But when I heard his side, I realized you both were to blame. Not that being mismatched is anyone's fault," she said quickly.

"But Bruce and I have always been friends. I wasn't going to hate him over your romantic dispute. Especially not when both of you were contributing to the issue." She shrugged. "What happened between you two doesn't make either one of you a bad person. So why shouldn't I want to be with him?" Shayera said as Diana chewed on some pasta.

Diana sighed.

"I guess in the moment, it felt like a betrayal. Like you had been lying to me in the cafeteria when you had taken my side."

"Oh," Shayera said softly, with more understanding. "Well. I have been known to lie," she said grimly, thinking back to her participation in her people's invasion. And the months and years leading up to it when she had befriended and deceived the members of the Justice League as to her origins and her intentions.

"Yes," Diana murmured. "But I'm sorry I reacted so strongly. It was a shock to hear you were dating. I hadn't realized you two had been spending time together, so my last impression of you was that you were judging Bruce as harshly as I was. I felt manipulated," she said.

"I'm sorry, Diana, truly," Shayera said regretfully. "That was never my intention."

"I probably put too much importance on having an ally as well," Diana admitted, knowing that she needed to take ownership for her part. "I was so hurt by Bruce. Which, as it turned out, was partly from me misunderstanding his intentions and clinging to hope that he would change his mind."

"Well, it was a difficult situation for both of you," Shayera said. "I know he told you 'no' and tried not to be around you too much, but you weren't the only one hoping that the situation would change." Diana sighed.

"It would have been so much simpler if we hadn't both been in love," she said.

"Definitely," said Shayera sympathetically before taking a big bite of her doctored-up sandwich.

"Do you love him?" Diana asked her curiously. Shayera's eyes lit up as she chewed and swallowed.

"I do," she said with a smile. "He's so comfortable to be around," she said, stretching her wings out as if just the thought of Bruce made her relax.

"That is… not how I would describe him," Diana said thoughtfully. "Ever. He's fascinating to be around. Exhilarating, maybe. Exciting. But not comfortable. Not for me, anyway."

"Well, that's not how I'd describe Lex Luthor, either," Shayera said with a cheeky grin. "But I'm guessing that's how you feel about him?"

"Totally," Diana beamed, feeling a burst of happy bubbles float upwards from her tummy to her heart. "Being with him is so relaxing. He's the only person I've ever met who doesn't drain my energy even a little bit, no matter how much time we spend together."

"Yes!" Shayera said, flapping her wings a little bit in her enthusiasm. "That's how Bruce is for me. And he makes me laugh, so much, Diana. I haven't laughed so hard since leaving Thanagar. Most humans don't get me," she said.

"I'm too much of a snarky bitch, I think, to use their term," she said. "But that's how Thanagarians are!" she exclaimed with frustration. "We're a blunt, war-like people. We snark!" Diana giggled.

"I totally agree," she said firmly. "Hey!" she yelped as Shayera threw a pillow at her. "You said it, not me!"

"You didn't have to agree so quickly," Shayera grinned at her, feeling relieved at the camaraderie blossoming between her and Diana again.

"Lex makes me laugh, too," Diana said thoughtfully. "Bruce never did." Shayera gave her a look.

"I guess you and Lex must be made for each other, then. Because laughter and Lex Luthor do not go in the same sentence," she said. "Unless it's an evil, villainous laugh," she chuckled. "As he's destroying the world."

'Hey!" Diana said, smiling broadly as she picked up the pillow from the floor and threw it right back at Shayera. "He doesn't do that anymore."

"Well, leave it to an Amazon to turn a strong man into a groveling, love-struck sap," Shayera laughed. "You did good on that front, sister."

"I hope we can convince the rest of the League of that," Diana said nervously, concern seeping into her voice. "I'm worried that J'onn is sensing so many doubts about the mission today. It's important for this operation to be a success."

If the rest of the Justice League refused to go along with their planned mission to nab all of Lex's compatriots in one fell swoop, things would get dicey for Lex. He would become their new target once they realized that he was, in fact, reforming and betraying them, and that was the last thing that Diana wanted.

"I know," Shayera said. "Who's spent time with Lex so far? Besides you, obviously. Wally and J'onn have, right?"

"Yes," Diana said. "And Lois and Clark came over for dinner last night."

"No," Shayera said in wonder. "Lois Lane had dinner with Lex Luthor?"

"Yes," Diana giggled. "And got drunk off her ass."

She smiled, remembering Lois's insistence on downing numerous gin and tonics, as well as Clark's easy acceptance of his girlfriend's coping mechanism of choice. At least Lois didn't have to worry about getting home safe with Superman escorting her, but Diana was sure that she must have woken up with one hell of a hangover this morning.

"Lois is a wise woman," Shayera laughed. "But what did she think of Lex?"

"Well, she's always going to hate him for trying to kill Clark," Diana said seriously. "But she was pretty cordial. For her."

"Did she think he was being honest, though? About loving you and changing?" Shayera pressed. Diana frowned.

"I'm not exactly sure," she said. "Clark believes him. But Lois? I think she was more focused on patching up our friendship. A situation which I seem to find myself in frequently, these days," Diana added dryly.

"Well, that's what happens when you date a super-villain," Shayera said cheerfully.

"Oh, please," Diana scoffed. "The issues between you and me had nothing to do with Lex."

"Of course they didn't," Shayera said playfully. "I was lying again. In an attempt to not be a bitch." Diana dropped her jaw open wide in mock offense.

"I'm going to have to start using my lasso on you every time we talk," she teased.

"It's not easy being Thanagarian," Shayera mused. "My only choices are bitch or liar. It's a lose-lose for most people. If I were you, I'd take the occasional lie," she winked.

"I take it Bruce doesn't mind the bitch," Diana said with amusement.

"Diana, he _is _a bitch," Shayera laughed. "That's why we get along so well. All we want to do is avoid other people and hang out in the Batcave."

"Hm," Diana said, thinking again about how much she and Lex loved people, and how happy she had been having Lois and Clark over for dinner last night, and how much fun they had had going out with Wally and J'onn earlier in the week, and how much she was looking forward to hosting big social gatherings with Lex in their penthouse.

"You know," Diana said, "Lois and Lex both told me that you and Bruce were assholes and that was why you got along so well," Diana said.

"Ok, that was too much honesty," Shayera said severely. Diana raised an eyebrow.

"You're lying again, aren't you," she said suspiciously. Shayera snorted.

"Obviously. Bruce and I take pride in being assholes. I have an idea, though," she said. "Let's call Lois and ask her if she thinks Lex is being honest with you."

"Why do you want to do that?" Diana asked her before taking a bite of salad.

"If she says yes, we can ask her to come up to the Watchtower for the all hands meeting and talk to the rest of the League about her observations. They'll believe Lois. She fucking hates Lex."

"Oh," Diana said. "That's clever." She pulled her phone out and dialed Lois's number.

"Hi, Diana," Lois said when she picked up. "What's up?"

"I have you on speakerphone," Diana said. "I'm here with Shayera."

"Oh, God, one of you isn't bleeding out, are you?" Lois said. "Tell me you're not giving me a scoop on a mortal death match between the two fiercest women of the Justice League."

"Ha ha," said Diana. Shayera snorted.

"I like her," she said.

"I can hear you, you know," Lois said. "Do they not have speakerphone on Thanagar?" Shayera busted out laughing.

"Lois, you and me are going to have to hang out!" she said in delight. "You're as bitchy as me and Bruce." Diana gasped and held her breath. There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.

"Did you just compare me to _Batman_?" Lois slowly snarled. "Batman!?" she screamed.

"I thought you'd be more upset about being called a bitch," Diana said, fighting a smile.

"Well, you know what they say," Lois said archly. "Takes one to know one." Shayera snickered. "What the hell do you two bloodthirsty bitches want, anyway?" Lois said briskly. "I'm busy down here, you know."

"This is important," Diana said. "J'onn sensed the members of the League having doubts about our operation against Lex's villains on Sunday night."

"The operation that you three deliberately withheld relevant details about from me last night at dinner?" Lois said pointedly. "So that I wouldn't explode into a pile of burnt coffee grounds from burying a scoop?"

"Oh," Diana said, realizing her blunder. "Um. Yes."

"Fantastic. How does that concern me?" Lois said sarcastically as Shayera chortled.

"We were wondering if you believed Lex that he loves me and is changing," Diana said. "Or if you think he's lying to me and is actually deceiving the League and going to kill everybody."

"Oh, make it a hard one," Lois snarked. Diana huffed.

"Lois, I'm serious. This could make a big difference to the League, ok?"

"How?" the reporter asked bluntly.

"Because," Shayera said. "You hate Lex Luthor more than anyone."

"True," Lois said with pride.

"So," Shayera continued, "if you think he's telling the truth about loving Diana and wanting to round up as many villains as he can to protect her, then we need you to beam up to the Watchtower and tell the League members that. At our meeting in thirty minutes."

"You _need _me to do what now?" Lois squawked. "Publicly defend Lex Luthor? To the Justice League? In outer space? Oh, hell no," she said.

Diana and Shayera looked at each other in dismay.

"So you believe him?" Shayera asked.

"I did not say that," Lois huffed.

"You didn't say you don't believe him," Diana said cautiously. Lois groaned loud and long before apparently holding the phone away from her head to let loose with a string of curses. Some of which were not in English.

"She lived overseas as a kid," Diana whispered to Shayera amidst the not very quiet background of Lois's profanity. "Her dad was in the military."

"Guess she picked up on the local culture," Shayera said with a twinkle in her eye.

"Lois?" Diana called loudly when Lois paused for breath. "It would really help us out."

There was another stream of grumbling before Lois's voice came through loud and clear again.

"Diana," Lois said sharply and firmly. "I cannot - repeat, can_not_, publicly defend Lex fucking Luthor. I love you, Diana," she said. "I do. I mean that. I'm glad he's not fucking you over so far. But you want me to come up there and tell your team to go risk their lives against him and a bunch of his worst baddies? What if it's a trap and they all get killed?"

"Do you believe it's a trap?" Shayera asked her. "Because it sounds like you think he loves Diana."

"Yes, I think he loves her," Lois snapped impatiently. "Ok? Are you happy? Geez. I hate his fucking guts and he seems like he's in love with my best friend."

"I'm your best friend?" Diana said with a pleased smile.

"Oh, my God. Yes," Lois huffed. "You're my best friend. Obviously, Diana, and this is so not the time for mush and braiding friendship bracelets," she said. "I am not comfortable telling your team to go risk their lives. We all could be wrong. We've seen Lex lie again and again and again."

"But you don't think he's lying this time," Shayera said. "And you're Lois Lane. Lex has never fooled you before, has he?" she said with a sneaky wink to Diana.

"I see what you're doing, Hawkgirl," Lois said. "I'm not an idiot."

"I'm not Hawkgirl anymore," Shayera said fiercely. "I'm the Gotham Gargoyle, now."

"You are?" Diana said as Lois said, "Oh, great. Thanks for that. Another scoop I can't publish because Bruce will kill me if I do. You're really making your case here, Gee-Gee."

"Couldn't you come up and tell the Justice League exactly what you've told us, though?" Diana pleaded with her. "That you believe him but you're not going to tell them to risk their lives?"

"That would be exactly the same as me telling them to risk their lives and you know it," Lois said. "I lend credibility to that fucking snake."

"Lois!" Diana said sharply.

"Sorry," Lois muttered. "Old habits. But seriously, Diana, no. No, no, no, no, no."

"There will be serious consequences for both the Justice League and Lex and Diana if we don't have enough members to mount a strong offensive on Sunday," Shayera said. "Don't you feel a responsibility to save lives?"

"I'm not Clark," Lois groused, but Diana thought she heard a note of inner conflict in her friend's voice.

A lightbulb went off in her head and without examining the thought too closely, Diana said, "You could do an exclusive on the Watchtower." Shayera stared at her with wide eyes before silently starting to shake with laughter. Stunned silence was all they heard from Lois's end of the phone.

"No reporters have ever been up here before," Diana said slyly, grinning at the still shaking Shayera. "I think the people on Earth would appreciate knowing more about the object floating in the sky above them."

"Diana…" Lois said slowly, with serious warning in her tone.

"Certain areas would be off limits, of course, for security reasons," Diana said, picking up steam, "but there's so much that you could see and report on, Lois. A true scoop. How many reporters have even been to outer space, ever?" Diana said thoughtfully. "Any?"

"He's rubbing off on you," Lois hissed with venom.

"Does that mean you'll come?" Diana giggled.

"Yes, dammit, I'll come," Lois grumbled. "Tell Clark to beam down so he can fly me out to the cornfields. There's not enough time to take the javelin if your meeting is in twenty-five minutes."

"You were really paying attention," Shayera said in surprise.

"I'm Lois Lane," Lois snapped. "I'm always paying attention. I will get you for this, Diana," she muttered. "If anything goes wrong, it is on your head."

"It already was," Diana said honestly. Lois sighed.

"I suppose that's true," she said. "You and your taste in men. First Batman and now Lex. Why you couldn't pick someone sweet like Clark, I do not know."

"He was taken," Diana said impishly.

"Damn right he's taken," Lois said, shuffling papers around as she packed up to prepare to leave Metropolis. "But the Flash is nice. He's single."

"Wally?" Diana said in horror as Shayera fell over laughing.

"Please tell Wally you said that," the Thanagarian said in between laughs. "Well, I'll probably beat you to it. But you can confirm it."

"I would write a dissertation on it if it would convince Diana to date him," Lois said. "But alas, she prefers her men bitter and evil."

"Formerly evil," Diana corrected. "And I'm not into bitter guys anymore. That's Shayera's thing, now."

"Hey!" Shayera protested. "Bruce is not bitter. He's bitchy. There's a difference," she said defiantly. And proudly.

"You two," Lois muttered. "I better have the most fucking fabulous personalized tour of that space station," she growled. "And you're the one who has to tell Clark about it."

"Oh," Diana said in sudden dismay. Lois cackled.

"Yeah, oh," she mocked her friend. "Blackmail's all fun and games until someone has to tell Superman."

Diana could not disagree.


	24. Chapter 24

_**Chapter 24**_

"Hi, honey!" Lois said as Clark landed on the roof of The Daily Planet to pick her up. Literally pick her up, because he was going to quickly fly them out to the remote cornfields that the Watchtower used as their beaming site so that they would arrive in time for the all hands meeting which was starting soon.

"Hi, yourself, fiancée," Clark said with a big smile as he wrapped his arms around Lois's waist and took off. Lois had her arms wrapped around Clark's neck as they flew, but she waited until they were outside of Metropolis before kissing him soundly on the lips. Just in case anyone had been watching the roof of the Planet.

Clark took his time kissing her back, since they had a bit of a straight shot and he was flying below the height of the air traffic lanes, so he didn't need to watch where he was going. For a minute, anyway.

"Did you tell anyone yet?" Lois asked him.

"No," Clark said back to her. "It was a dramatic morning," he sighed. "But Vixen did the chewing out for a change," he said. "It got the day off on the wrong foot, though."

"That's ok," Lois said, cuddling against him. "We can tell them together, now that I'm coming up to the station." Clark smiled.

"Another benefit to balance out the horror of having to defend Lex Luthor today," he said in a teasing voice.

"Ugh, don't remind me," Lois groaned. "I still cannot believe she manipulated me like that. Not that I'm complaining about the scoop," she frowned, "but I feel like I'm selling my soul to get it."

"I warned you," Clark laughed. Lois sniffed.

"You warned me about accepting favors from Lex," she said. "You didn't warn me that Diana was going to become just as dangerous!" Clark laughed some more and kissed her neck as he sped through the air.

"You are actually doing a good thing," he said more seriously. "J'onn was quite concerned this morning about the League's willingness to go through with the assault on the Legion of Doom. If we don't have a strong enough offensive, people will get hurt," he said.

"That's what Shayera said," Lois murmured. "That's the only reason why I agreed to do it," she added. Clark gave her a look.

"Hey," Lois protested. "I wasn't going to agree to do it for free," she said. "It's Lex fucking Luthor. I deserve some pretty stellar compensation for sullying my own reputation to defend that sonofabitch. But I wasn't going to let you and your team be endangered if I could help," she said more soberly.

Clark beamed at her.

"That's why I love you, Lois," he said to her.

"Stop," she said, blushing.

"You always do the right thing," Clark said. "Even though you hide it sometimes behind your bluster."

"Well, one of us needs to be ferocious," Lois said, nuzzling her nose into his cheek. "If we were both as friendly and helpful as you are, people would walk all over us," she said.

"I know," Clark smiled. "You keep us in balance. We're a good team." Lois smiled.

"We are," she said as she ran her fingers through his hair that the wind was whipping back from his scalp.

"Speaking of being a team," she said, "I was wondering how you'd feel if we both hyphenated our names after we got married? So we'd both have the same last name."

Clark's heart swelled with joy.

"I'd love to," he said, turning his face to kiss her on the lips again. "I wasn't sure if you'd want to keep Lane by itself." Lois shook her head.

"We're in this together," she said. "But is it ok if we make it Lane-Kent for both of us? Lois Lane-Kent rolls off the tongue better."

"You have the Pulitzer," Clark teased. "We definitely need the last name that sounds best with Lois," he said. She giggled.

"I love you, future Mr. Clark Lane-Kent," she said.

"I love you, too," Clark said as he slowed his speed and began to descend from the sky. He pulled Lois into a deep kiss once their feet were solidly on the ground. "I am so excited we're getting married," he said to her. "I didn't mind waiting," he said quickly. "But I'm glad you're ready."

"Me, too," Lois said happily. "But, I am not so sure I'm ready to be de-materialized," she said nervously. "Diana and Shayera had to wait until the last minute to call me," she grumbled. "Bad enough I'm going into outer space," she said. "But I couldn't even take the javelin?"

"You're scared about going into space?" Clark said to her in surprise as he signaled the Watchtower on his communicator. "I thought you'd be excited."

"I'm excited about the tour and writing the article," Lois said. "But I watched _Space Camp_ as a kid. That movie was too real. And _Apollo 13_? Real space is not sci-fi," she muttered. "It's freakin' dangerous."

"The Watchtower barely feels like you're in space," Clark reassured her. "And we're not like _Titanic_," he said. "We have enough javelins to evacuate everyone in an emergency if the transporters go down."

"Ok," Lois said unhappily. Clark's communicator beeped.

"Here we go," he said. Lois barely had time to panic before she felt a warm sensation fizz through her entire body. Her vision got hazy for the barest second before she was blinking and in one piece on the Watchtower beaming pad.

"Oh, thank God," she moaned, patting herself up and down to reassure herself that all of her limbs were intact. "We are so taking a shuttle home," she said to Clark. He laughed.

"Absolutely," he said. "Anything for our star witness."

"Yes," Diana agreed from the side of the pad, walking over with Shayera to greet Lois. "Anything at all for you, Lois. Thank you so much for coming," she said gratefully, pulling her friend into a big hug that made Lois sputter and protest.

"All right, all right, I'm here," she said in annoyance, even though Diana could see in her eyes that she wasn't horribly upset. Public displays of affection made the reporter uncomfortable, Diana knew, but she couldn't help herself this once - Lois was being so accommodating and generous to help the Justice League out and they only needed her help because of Diana's dating life.

It made a girl want to give her best friend a hug.

"This is Shayera," Diana said. "I guess you've crossed paths occasionally before."

"Yes," Lois said, narrowing her eyes a little bit as she evaluated the Thanagarian standing before her. Whatever she saw seemed to satisfy her, because she nodded a little bit.

"You're a brave woman to date Batman," Lois said dryly. Shayera laughed.

"I'd say he's the brave one to date me," she boasted, prompting a smile to appear on Lois's face.

"I would concur," Batman growled, appearing out of nowhere behind the trio of women. Lois jumped but Shayera didn't seem fazed.

"You'd better concur," she said to Bats as he wrapped his arms around her waist under her wings from behind. Shayera pressed a kiss to what little skin on the side of his face wasn't hidden underneath his cowl and Lois was surprised to see a hint of a smile curl up the edge of Batman's mouth.

She glanced at Diana to see how Diana was taking the couple's open affection and was relieved to see that Diana seemed to be holding it together.

"Of course I concur," Batman said to Shayera, now fully smiling. "All of our drinking didn't black out the memory of who won the bagging contest," he said and Shayera gave a hearty belly laugh.

"Lois," Batman said, turning his head to face the reporter. "Good of you to join us. Hear you're getting a tour later," he growled in a more unfriendly tone of voice.

"That was all Diana's doing!" Lois said, lifting her hands up in her defense as Clark chuckled.

"You're not upset about giving the public a glimpse of Justice League Headquarters?" Bruce said to him pointedly. Clark smiled.

"I'm going to leave all the upset to you and J'onn and GL," he said easily, "seeing as how it's my fiancée who's getting the tour and writing the article."

"Your fiancée?" Diana screamed as Shayera's face split into a warm smile. "You got engaged? When?"

"Last night," Lois laughed. "We won't be able to shop for a ring until Monday, though."

She smiled as Clark interlaced their fingers and squeezed her hand, and Diana's eyes misted up a little bit, because that was Clark all over - respecting Lois's need for minimal public contact even when they were announcing their engagement. They fit together so well, Diana thought to herself.

"I take it you were the one who proposed, Lois," Batman was saying with a smirk as Lois laughed and Clark smiled.

"Of course," Lois said breezily. "Clark would've been happy to get engaged ages ago," she said more seriously as she swung their hands together and looked up at her future husband, "but I wasn't ready until now."

"Did coming over for dinner last night have something to do with it?" Diana asked her eagerly. Lois glared at her.

"I am giving Lex enough credit today that I am not entirely sure that he deserves. We will have _that_ discussion _another_ day," she snapped.

"That's a 'yes,'" Shayera chuckled.

"Shut up, you," Lois said sharply, which made Shayera laugh outright.

"You and me are definitely going to become friends," she said with glee. "She's as feisty as I am," Shayera said to Batman, turning her head to look up at him with amusement as she stayed cozily snuggled in his arms, which were still wrapped around her waist.

Diana felt herself start to blush when instead of answering his girlfriend out loud, Bruce bent down and whispered something in her ear that made her wings flutter. Diana cleared her throat and walked over to Lois and Clark.

"Shall we head down to the meeting?" she said. "We're just about to get started. J'onn and Wally and John are already there setting up."

"Lead the way," Lois said with a flash of empathy as she met Diana's eyes.

Due to the fact that the Justice League had so many members on its roster, the all hands meeting was being held in their largest briefing room which featured sloped seating with attached desks like a college lecture hall, although the League briefing room featured bigger seats on the ends of aisles for their larger members.

J'onn was going through some papers on the podium as the Flash chatted with the Green Lantern and Vixen who were seated together in the front row.

"What's she doing here?" Dinah Lance murmured to Oliver Queen as Lois Lane walked in with Superman and Wonder Woman. The Green Arrow frowned.

"A reporter at a mission briefing?" he said. "I don't like it. Even if she _is_ Superman's girlfriend."

"Do you like it more or less than you like this mission?" Black Canary sighed. Ollie grunted.

"Risking League members at Lex Luthor's behest? Not my idea of something the Justice League ought to be doing and I intend to say so," he said.

"Maybe he's changed," Supergirl said from the seat on his right. "Wonder Woman's not an idiot, Ollie. And the way Lex was looking at her in those photos from the dance?" Kara sighed dreamily. "I hope a man looks at me that way one day," she said. "You can't fake that."

Dinah snorted.

"Sure you can, honey," she said. "It's called acting. People in Hollywood get paid a lot of money to do it everyday."

"Still," Wildcat said from her left. "Diana's a smart lady. I don't think Lex could get away with fooling her that easily."

"But should the entire League be risking their lives over her love life?" the Green Arrow retorted. "Even if it's not a trap. Which I still say that it is."

"It does seem awfully self-serving," Canary agreed with him. "Rounding up all these villains will be doing Lex a huge favor."

"Not just Lex," Wildcat protested. "Think of all the people who won't become crime statistics once we've got these villains locked up. It's doing the world a huge favor, is what it is."

"Yeah," said Kara. "Ted's right. If we had this kind of intel coming from anyone besides Lex, you both would jump at the chance to take down this many baddies at once."

"But the intel is coming from Lex," Oliver said in frustration. "It's too much of a gamble. We could be walking into the biggest trap of our lives. I don't think the League has the right to put its members' lives on the line based on Lex Luthor's supposed goodwill."

"I'm inclined to agree," Dinah said, crossing her fishnet clad legs as Batman and Shayera entered the room and J'onn stood to call the meeting to order.

"We all know why we are here today," J'onn intoned. "As you are aware, we have a full-scale attack on the Legion of Doom planned for Sunday night at 10 p.m. As you are also aware, this attack was planned jointly with Lex Luthor, who is now dating Wonder Woman and has asked for our assistance in putting his former associates behind bars."

"I am well aware of your doubts and concerns," J'onn said. "And the Founders will do everything in our power to address those concerns throughout this meeting. Rest assured that Batman has devised our own tactical plan over and above what was discussed with Lex that takes into account the possibility of a trap."

"Well, that's something," Canary murmured under her breath. Ollie grunted.

"Still too dangerous," he muttered.

"Additionally," J'onn continued, "Wonder Woman will be leaving the briefing early so that certain strategic details never reach her ears in the event that she falls victim to a telepathic attack between now and Sunday. As of this moment, I am confident that she has not been compromised."

The Green Arrow snorted quietly.

"She hasn't been compromised telepathically, maybe," he said. "But she's been compromised, all right," he said.

"You don't know that," Dinah scolded him in a whisper. "It's possible Lex really loves her. I don't think we should be basing a mission on it, though."

"I will also add that I had the opportunity to observe Lex both over dinner and during our time at the Justice League Embassy on Earth, and while I did not read his mind -"

"Why not?" Wildcat muttered. "Seems like that woulda been the easiest way to set everybody's minds at ease."

"J'onn doesn't have the right to go snooping around in people's minds whenever he wants," Canary said back to him. "That would be a disgusting privacy violation."

"So why didn't he ask to read his mind?" Wildcat grumbled.

"Is there a question?" J'onn said as the heroes' arguing escalated to a distracting level.

"Yeah, I got a question," Wildcat called out. "Why didn't you ask to read Lex Luthor's mind? Woulda made all of us feel a lot better," he said.

In the front row, Diana frowned but held her tongue. Her fingers were tightly clamped around her silver bracelets, though, and Lois saw that she was brimming with tension.

"Mr. Luthor offered that as an option for us," J'onn replied. "As well as offering to speak under compulsion of Wonder Woman's Lasso of Truth. However, the Founders agreed that we would be violating our own principles if we subjected Lex to a lie detector test."

A chorus of disbelieving laughs rang around the room, followed by a litany of murmured complaints and jeers.

"Hey!" Wally said, standing up to face the crowd. "We're not the police force," he said. "We're the Justice League. Does justice only apply to certain people?" he said.

"Or is everybody entitled to it? If we're serious about our values, then we apply them to everybody," Wally said insistently. "Otherwise, we might as well call ourselves the Justice Lords and go around forcing everyone to obey us."

"Oh, wait," he said sarcastically. "They tried that on another Earth. Didn't end well. For the world. Is that who we want to become?" he asked the League members.

The grumbling grew to a guilty halt, although the silence was an unfriendly one as the Flash took his seat.

"The fact that Lex willingly offered to undergo any form of truth-detection should relieve some of your fears as to his insincerity," J'onn said. "Additionally, we have asked Lois Lane to speak with you all regarding her observations about Lex's behavior and intentions."

Lois stood at J'onn's gesture and walked to the microphone at the podium.

"Well," she said as she looked out over the full room. "As most of you know, Lex has made multiple attempts on Superman's life. Multiple," she said, glaring at Diana a little bit, who bit her lip but nodded. "And I will never forgive him for that," Lois continued. "Ever. Not ever. Falling in love with my best friend does not excuse his past behavior towards my boyfriend," she said bitterly. "Or towards anyone, for that matter."

Diana sighed a little bit in her seat and Shayera gave her a sympathetic look.

"I was asked up here as Lex Luthor's motherfuckin' character witness," Lois continued. "Me. Lois Lane. Because I hate him, I now have the privilege of defending his character," she snarked sarcastically.

"And I want to make very clear that I did not want to come and tell you all to risk your lives based on my word," she said.

"Finally, someone with some common sense," Oliver enthused quietly. "Leave it to Lane to be the voice of reason," he said.

"Also," Lois was continuing, "I was promised an exclusive scoop on the Watchtower for _The Daily Planet_ in exchange for coming up here. With a limited tour, not through secure areas of the station, of course, and Clark and Batman will be reviewing my article before I submit it to make sure that no compromising details slip in."

"They bribed her?" Ollie growled. Kara scoffed.

"Just so she'd come up here," she said. "No one's more trustworthy than Lois. But she hates Lex's guts. The last thing she'd ever want to do is say something positive about him. Even if it was true."

"Listen," Dinah scolded them.

"If you want my honest opinion," Lois sighed reluctantly, "and I cannot believe I am saying this," she muttered, "Lex loves Diana."

Some surprised chattering was heard around the lecture hall as Lois held a hand up.

"Now, wait, wait, wait," Lois said. "I still hate him. I still think there's a possibility that he's fooled all of us, because there's always that possibility with Lex. But I also know that Superman thinks this mission is worth doing and that it needs all of you to succeed. And I know Batman well enough to know that he's planned the mission as if it was a trap."

"So I don't think it's really a question of if you trust Lex or not," Lois said. "It's a question of whether or not you trust Batman." Lois shrugged.

"If it were me? I'd trust Batman," she said. "Because if Lex is lying, you can capture his ass, too," she said calmly. "I'm sure Bats already has ten different strategies in place for taking him down with everyone else if things go south."

"More than ten," Batman growled from the front row.

"See?" Lois said to the League members silently watching her, now. "You're in good hands. I don't think you all have anything to worry about. Lex only thinks this is his mission. I know damn well it's not," she said, meeting Batman's eyes. He smirked at her.

"In fact," Lois said, "I'd bet the Bat has secret backup plans which he's not telling any of you, including the Founders," she said, looking over at J'onn and Clark and the Green Lantern. "You don't have to be a detective to figure out that the reason why Batman always wins is because he doesn't trust anyone."

"But what do I know?" Lois said. "I'm only a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist with fifteen years of experience in excavating the truth," she finished with a triumphant gleam in her eye.

Diana wasn't psychic, but she felt the icy atmosphere in the room thaw by at least ten degrees when Lois had finished speaking. She took in a deep breath and breathed a sigh of relief as her friend strolled over to her.

"Thank you," Diana said gratefully. Lois nodded. "I'll walk you down to the commissary," Diana said. "You can wait there for your tour until the meeting's over."

"Which will be hours, right?" Lois said. "Because I've got a hell of a lot of work to do that you dragged me away from. You have wi-fi up here, right?"

"Of course," Diana said with a smile. She gave J'onn a little wave as she led Lois out of the room.

"Well," Dinah said as J'onn prepared to take the meeting back over. "She makes a good point. You know Bats isn't going to lead us wrong." Oliver sighed.

"He is a sneaky sonofabitch, I must admit," he said. "I suppose if he's planned this mission out around Luthor in ways that Luthor and the Legion can't prepare for… it might be all right."

"Of course it will be all right," Supergirl said impatiently. "He's Batman."


	25. Chapter 25

_A/N Lemons ahead. Read at your own risk! _

* * *

_**Chapter 25**_

Batman, being Batman, was naturally heading back to Gotham to patrol that evening, despite a full day of briefings on the Watchtower, most of which he had been leading.

Shayera, being not only the new Gotham Gargoyle, but also Batman's new BFF and girlfriend on top of it, was naturally accompanying him.

They left a slightly less grumpy Lois in Clark's capable hands for her Watchtower tour, which John Stewart and Vixen had thoughtfully volunteered to co-lead as security oversight for the sake of protocol, since Clark and Lois were in a relationship. Engaged, actually, Shayera thought to herself with a smile. That had been a nice surprise coming on the end of a few weeks of heavy inter-team stress.

Lois had looked so happy, for her, when Clark had announced their engagement on the landing pad, and Clark, of course, had been beaming brighter than the yellow sun that powered his Kryptonian abilities. Shayera's eyes had been drawn to Lois, though, who reminded her so much of herself. Rather than looking overly excited, Lois was glowing with a relaxed sense of peacefulness; like she'd finally settled into her truth and it was anchoring her.

Shayera recognized that look. One snarky and bitchy Thanagarian warrior had once looked like that when she had gotten engaged, in what felt like a lifetime that took place eons ago. When she had agreed to marry Hro, Shayera had felt more content and secure than she ever had before. She had felt right; connected to the path of destiny that she belonged on.

Except, things had changed. The Gordanian war, which had been dragging on and on with no end in sight, suddenly seemed conquerable when Thanagarian scientists had come up with the wormhole bypass generators which would ideally allow them to teleport their troops in past the Gordanians' previously impenetrable defenses on their homeworld.

Shayera, against her will and against her heart, had been ordered to Earth as the advance scout, since the Thanagarians would need to erect a wormhole over the planet in their chain of wormholes leading to Gordania. She was only supposed to be scouting for weaknesses in case of a future Gordanian attack; Thanagar wasn't supposed to destroy Earth in order to use the generator. So Shayera had been told.

But deception wasn't only a Thanagarian strategy against their enemies - it was one employed frequently on their own troops when deemed an overall benefit to the mission objective. So, Shayera hadn't known that the friends she was making would become sacrificial pawns in her own people's pursuit of self-preservation, or that the planet she'd come to tolerate and sometimes even appreciate would be wiped out in a mass genocide.

Shayera had hated leaving Hro, but she had obeyed orders like a good soldier. She was one of Thanagar's finest warriors, after all, and even was an instructor at the military academy due to her tactical prowess.

She hadn't meant to cheat on Hro. She hadn't. But her isolation had dragged on for so, so long. She began to wonder if her people were ever coming. Perhaps the war had gone worse than expected and the Gordanians had won. The Thanagarians had no way to contact Shayera with updates due to their homeworld's distance from Earth and her military-minded superiors wouldn't have risked it even if there had been a means of communication.

Not only that, but due to the never-ending demand for weapons and warships for the war effort, the bypass generators would take years to build as materials and skilled crafters were limited. Her people couldn't ignore their immediate need for survival even with a long-term, long-shot hope for a final victory now in place.

So Shayera had ended up alone on Earth for over five years before J'onn had summoned her for what became the Justice League's first mission. Her love for Hro hadn't changed in that time, but Shayera had. She was achingly lonely and what started as friendship with the Green Lantern slowly, incrementally, turned into more. Shayera had pushed down her nagging guilt with inner reassurances that she only half-believed, telling herself that she'd been abandoned at this point by her own people to a fool's mission.

When they had actually showed up one day?

Well. It hadn't been good. For oh so many reasons.

Still, Shayera couldn't say that she was sorry that she'd become independent enough from her people and her military duties - and Hro - to stand against a genocide. Hro's passionate defense of their people's plans had nauseated her. When had he become that person? Or had he always been that blindly devoted to their own survival? And a more frightening thought - would Shayera have been the same had she not been assigned to Earth?

She'd never know. But she knew who she was, now, so she'd stood with Justice League in the end, even though she'd broken their trust and broken John's heart.

But her heart had broken, too, and in more ways than John's. Her people had betrayed her belief in their goodness and her once unshakeable faith in her military superiors had fallen to ashes.

So, remembering her engagement to Hro felt like remembering a distant dream - soft and hazy and wispy around the edges - but seeing Lois's ease of being brought it all back.

Shayera sighed as she flapped her wings towards Gotham with Batman in her arms. They had beamed down rather than wait on a javelin, since she could get them to Gotham faster than the shuttle trip to Earth from the space station.

"Is something wrong, Shy?" Bats asked her, turning his head to look at her. He'd become remarkably comfortable with flying with her to the point where he sometimes even fell asleep, which she couldn't help but think was completely adorable, to see her big grumpy Bat peacefully snoozing in her arms while his legs dangled down thousands of feet above the Earth.

She never woke him up when he fell asleep, either. He seemed like he never slept much except when he was with her and she personally thought the extra hours of rest were doing him good. But he was definitely not asleep now and had heard her wistful sigh.

"I was thinking about Lois," she said. "Getting engaged." Her Bat grunted. In a way that Shayera understood meant affectionate goodwill towards the reporter and Clark.

"You were engaged before," Bats said to her, not so much a statement as a probing question into her moodiness, and she had to smile that he understood where her mind had wandered off to without her needing to explain it. The benefits of being with a detective, she thought contentedly.

"I was," Shayera said, and her tone was as bittersweet as she felt. "It was nice," she said after a minute in which Bruce had patiently waited for her to go on. "While it lasted," she added a little more sadly.

"What was it like?" he asked her with genuine curiosity. "What made it better than dating?"

Shayera rubbed a gentle finger along his arm as she thought how best to put it into words.

"Hro and I knew we wanted to be together forever long before we got engaged," Shayera finally said. "But coming out and boldly declaring that yes, we were getting married? It felt like a 'fuck you' to destiny," she said with only a slightly bitter laugh. "Like staring fate in the eyes and saying no matter what happens, this person is mine, and we want the whole world to know it."

Bruce hummed a little bit in empathy as Shayera blinked away some tears.

"I guess that was a really stupid feeling, huh?" she asked him. "Given how my engagement ended." Bruce grunted.

"Hro should have come with you," he said. She looked at him. "You were engaged," Bruce said. "He should have come or you should have stayed. Splitting up was what did you in. Not destiny," he said. Shayera stared at him. Then swallowed.

"They needed Hro back on Thanagar for the war," she said thickly. "He was one of their best generals," she said.

"Then they should have kept you there, too," Bruce said, frowning. "Your talents were frankly wasted here on Earth. There was no need to send you, specifically, here as an advance scout. Unless -" he said, and then he did a most un-Batlike thing and shut up.

"Unless what?" Shayera prodded him. "You can say it. I always want to know what my Bat is thinking," she said sincerely. He looked at her and sighed.

"Unless they knew you'd be opposed to utilizing the genocide of innocent planets as a means of survival. So they sent you here to keep you out of the way," he said regretfully.

"B," Shayera said shakily. "But that would mean Hro -" she broke off this time, her jaw wobbling.

"Yeah," Batman grunted. "I'm sorry."

"He let me go?" she asked him, needing to hear it out loud.

"Or he deliberately sent you away," Bats muttered. "Maybe it was even his idea. He was a top general and he knew you better than anyone," he said, but he sounded like he hated having to say it.

Shayera whimpered a little bit and choked back a sob.

"Land," Bruce told her with some concern.

"We're not back to Gotham yet," Shayera mumbled as she sniffed a little bit.

"Doesn't matter," Bruce told her. "Land anywhere out of the way." Shayera scanned the rapidly darkening landscape and descended towards some woods, slowing until she dropped to the ground in the middle of a thick forest.

"Come here," Bruce said, turning around and pulling her into his arms as the tears she was trying to hold back broke loose. Shayera gratefully wrapped herself around him and planted her face in his shoulder to cry as Batman gripped her waist tightly with one arm while rubbing her back with his other hand.

"We were in love," she sobbed out against him.

"I know," Batman said soothingly as he kissed her temple while continuing to rub her back.

"We said 'fuck you, world, we're engaged,'" Shayera cried harder, her wings drooping as her sadness completely overwhelmed her.

"I know, baby," the Bat murmured, bending for a second to scoop her up under the knees so he could sit on the ground with Shayera in his lap. She curled into him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she fell apart in a way that she never would have permitted any other member of the Justice League, John included, to ever see.

And even though Bruce's heart was aching for her, the fact that Shayera trusted him enough to break down in front of him warmed his soul. He murmured soothing noises into her hair like Alfred used to do for him when he was a small child, on any of the numerous occasions when his guardian had found him crying inconsolably after his parents had died.

He rubbed a hand along the back of her head as she cried into his neck, and cuddled her as close as he could until her sobs slowly turned to whimpers and then sniffs as the forest turned dark around them as twilight turned to night. When Shayera seemed to have sufficiently quieted, Batman fished around in his utility belt for a tissue, which he gently wiped her face off with before she took it from him so she could blow her nose.

She sighed morosely as she shifted her arms around to wrap his chest so she could slump more comfortably against it.

"I love you," she said quietly into the darkness and shadows that made up her Bat.

"I love you, too," he said so gently that she almost broke down again. "And," he continued more fiercely, "for the record, I would never send you away like that."

"No?" Shayera said in surprise. "Not for anything?"

"No," Bats growled back at her.

"Hm," she said thoughtfully.

"You don't believe me?" he asked her. She smiled against his armor.

"I do believe you, actually," she said. "I'm just surprised. Deception and misdirection are two of your favorite strategies."

"Loving you is not a strategy game," Batman said to her.

"No," Shayera said slowly, "but what if you were concerned about my safety? You wouldn't ever lie to me to keep me safe? Or send me off on some out of the way mission?" Bruce snorted.

"If I did that, I would fully and rightfully expect for you to kick my ass from here to the remains of Krypton," he said. Shayera giggled and he chuckled against her forehead.

"Shy, if anything, I should be worried about you sending _me_ away to keep me safe. You're the best warrior we have. I'm the human liability on the team." She scoffed at that.

"Your human frailty is what gives you the edge strategically," she said. "You had to teach yourself to plot and attack in unusual ways in order to survive as a vigilante," she said. "At this point? I'm more worried about the Flash getting himself killed than you."

"So you wouldn't send me away, either, on a ruse for my protection?" he asked her curiously.

"Hell, no!" Shayera said. "I respect you too much. And," she said with a little grin, "I might be the slightest bit afraid of you figuring out a way to kick my ass afterwards if I did. Strategic Genius," she said, nuzzling his cheek with her head before kissing his jaw.

"Mm," Bats said. "I would, too."

"I know," Shayera laughed. "Hold on," she said suddenly. "You think I'm a better warrior than Diana?" she asked him in disbelief. "Diana's stronger physically. You'd better not be giving me false compliments, Bat," she said.

"Diana's physically stronger, yes," Bruce said. "But you're more ruthless," he chuckled. "She holds back sometimes. They didn't go in for death blows on Themyscira," he laughed. "Diana has a lot of training but she lacked any real life battle experience before joining the League," he said.

"Whereas you were not only raised by a warrior race, but were in their actual military, fought in the war, and rose through the ranks to become a master strategist and academy instructor," he said admiringly. "You win."

"Yes," Shayera hissed with satisfaction. "Give me a kiss," she ordered. "That was hot." Bruce chuckled and kissed her more sweetly than she would have expected. Shayera sighed into his gentle lips and let herself relax into the slow sweeps of his tongue across hers, feeling comforted and cozy and, well, exactly where she belonged.

"We could get married, too, you know," he said to her, pulling back slightly from her mouth. "If you wanted to. If it's important to you."

Shayera stopped breathing for a second.

"Is it important to _you_?" she asked him after a stunned moment of wonder.

"All that really matters to me is being with you," he said honestly. "Especially since you can't be seen publicly with Bruce Wayne if I want my identity to remain a mystery. But if it's important to you? Then yes, it's important to me," he said, snuggling his hands a little more firmly around her waist. "But I don't ever intend to be with anyone else, either way. For as long as you'll have me," he said.

"I'll always have you," Shayera murmured. She felt Bruce smile against her face.

"But would it make you happier to get married?" he persisted. "You sounded like you enjoyed the idea."

"I did," she said slowly. "I do. But…"

"We could get married on the Watchtower," Bruce said calmly, anticipating her question. "International space. No marriage licenses or non-League witnesses."

"You'd really want to?" Shayera asked him quietly, not quite sure how to take his almost ambivalent opinion on matrimony. "It sounds like marriage doesn't matter much either way to you."

"_You _matter to me," Bruce said. "And if marriage matters to you, then it matters to me, too, and then I want to marry you."

Shayera dipped her head as she smiled, a ridiculously giddy and altogether unfamiliar sensation bubbling up through her chest. And it wasn't at the thought of getting engaged. No; it was because her Bat loved her. A lot. A hell of a lot, apparently.

"Yes," she said, lifting her head back up to breathe the word out into his ear. Or, well, as close to his ear as she could get with the cowl covering it. "I want to marry you."

And then Bruce was kissing her so much more passionately than before, and Shayera's hands were tugging at his cowl and pushing it off of his head until she could run her hands through his hair as she poured all of her love and affection into kissing her future husband, who hated people and societal expectations and didn't give a damn about ceremonies and tradition but he wanted to make her happy, and that made his proposal more sweet than Shayera could possibly have imagined.

And as Bruce stripped her clothes off while she stripped off his armor, Shayera thought to herself that maybe this time getting engaged didn't need to be a 'fuck you' to the universe. Maybe it could be a 'thank you' instead.

"Oh," Bruce said when Shayera was riding his cock in his lap.

"Like that?" she asked him.

"No," he said. "I mean, yes," he huffed. "Not what I meant," he chuckled against her throat.

"I meant 'oh,' I wanted to tell you that Lois was wrong about one thing today," he said. "At the meeting."

"That's what you want to tell me right now?" Shy laughed in his face as she thrust down a little harder. "Right now, Bats? Really?" she teased him.

"Yes, right now," he grunted, although he groaned a little bit when Shy swiveled her hips in an especially delicious way.

"She was wrong," he said, punctuating the word 'wrong' with a sharp thrust upwards that toppled Shy forward against his chest, "about me having secret backup plans that I haven't told anyone else in the League about," he said, gripping her hips tightly as Shy's arms looped around his neck.

"I haven't told them to anyone else except _you_," he said, and then his cock wasn't the only reason why Shy was moaning in happiness as she held onto her Bat.

They were a little late starting their patrol in Gotham that night.


	26. Chapter 26

_A/N Limes towards the end. Read at your own risk!_

* * *

_**Chapter 26**_

"Welcome home," Lex greeted Diana with the big smile that he reserved just for her when she returned to their shared penthouse that evening.

"Lex," Diana said happily as he stood from the sofa where he had been working on his laptop when she arrived.

She slung the large backpack that she was wearing to the floor and then her arms were around his neck and her insides were falling apart in the best gooey manner as Lex passionately kissed her for at least a full minute before letting her go.

Diana's eyes sparkled up into his.

"It feels so wonderful to be coming home to you at night," she said and Lex thought dazedly that his heart was never going to be the same again, because no matter how hard he tried to hold onto his inner sharklike persona throughout his days at work when Diana wasn't around, every time she made a comment like this one Lex felt another sharp fang fall from his bite.

Hell, he'd even caught himself humming at his desk that afternoon. In his sound-proofed office, thank goodness, but still. The embarrassment.

And Tess, his dear secretary, had been practically cooing over him that morning; telling him how rested he looked (she knew better than to say happy, but Lex knew damn well that's what she had meant) and Tess had been full of so many positive things to say about Diana to him after finally meeting her in person for the first time the day before.

"How did your planning meetings go today?" Lex asked Diana as he moved to pick up her backpack for her. Not that she couldn't pick it up, but he liked being a gentleman. Someone had to show Diana that the world had at least one man in it who understood the meaning of that word.

Besides, it added to the stark contrast between his and Bruce's personalities, and Lex would be lying if he said that highlighting the favorable differences between them didn't both please and motivate him to show off a little bit for Diana.

"We were worried at first," Diana said to Lex as he carried the backpack to her bedroom, "because J'onn sensed a lot of mistrust among the League Members about your motives for the mission."

"Mm," Lex murmured thoughtfully. "I can't say that I'm surprised, sadly."

"Well," Diana said with a little smile, "Shayera had the idea to invite Lois up to the Watchtower to defend you."

"No," Lex said in wonder. "She agreed?" he said in disbelief. Diana blushed a little bit, but Lex caught her eyes twinkling as she dipped her head.

"I, um, may have borrowed a page from your book and promised her an exclusive feature on the Watchtower for _The Daily Planet_," Diana giggled.

"You _villainess,_" Lex purred in a highly sexy tone. "My, my, my, Diana," he said with amused approval as she laughed and looped her arms around his neck, "I do believe I'm having an influence on you."

"That's what Lois said," Diana answered him, still smiling. "But she took the bait anyway."

Lex laughed heartily.

"That's my girl," he said, bending down to nuzzle her nose which caused Diana to sigh with delight.

The intercom buzzed and Lex said, "That'll be dinner. I'll go grab it while you change?" and Diana nodded.

She had brought most of her clothes down from the Watchtower with her in the backpack that she carried Bruce's kevlar vests in for Lex to try on, only leaving a few things in her room on the station for occasions when she might need to sleep after a night shift before heading back to Metropolis, now that she was living with Lex.

He was dishing out their dinner, falafel sandwiches from a Greek restaurant, when Diana emerged in a scoop necked grey jersey knit nightgown, although Lex could tell that she had rather considerately for his abstinence-minded sensibilities put a pair of sleep shorts on underneath.

She had left her bra off, though, and Lex could not say that he minded one bit. Or that he planned to inform her that she was filling his mental spank bank up quite nicely with what she probably thought was a fairly modest look. Not that Diana would mind his lustful thoughts, Lex supposed.

He was the one who needed more time to feel secure in their relationship, after all, before having sex. A thought which continued to confound him with its absurdity given his voracious past, but, well, Lex supposed that a little patience never hurt anyone and no sense in chastising himself over feelings that he couldn't control.

"I brought three different kevlar vests for you to try," Diana told him. "From Bruce."

"Good," Lex said. "I'll model them for you later with the three-piece suit like Lois suggested and we'll see if any of the vests will do."

"One of them will have to," Diana frowned as she sat next to Lex at their dining table. "I can't bear the thought of you not being safe," she said.

"They assigned me to a team outside the compound during the assault," she said in a more troubled voice, meeting his eyes with the tears in hers that she had bravely hidden during the Founders' meeting.

Lex hummed in sympathy.

"They were afraid you'd be too focused on protecting me if you were inside?" he asked her knowingly and Diana nodded sadly.

"With good reason," she muttered. "But I still would rather be inside," she said as her lip trembled. "I'd rather be your bodyguard than lead a team at all for this mission," she said mournfully.

"I know, baby," Lex said, stretching his arm around her shoulders and kissing her forehead. "But I'll probably be safer with you outside," he said. Diana's jaw dropped and Lex chuckled.

"Not because you couldn't protect me," he said quickly. "But because I'd be so worried about protecting _you _that I'd neglect my own safety."

"Oh," Diana said softly, a little smile turning up the corners of her lips. "Really?" she asked him, looking surprisingly touched and pleased. "But I'm an Amazon. I'm stronger than most of the Rogues in the Legion of Doom," she said practically.

"I don't care," Lex said seriously. "I would lose my mind if I saw any of them come after you and I fear I would do something extremely ill-advised and foolish, illogical or not," he said with a wry smile.

"Well," Diana said slowly, "I suppose that makes me feel a little better, then," she said. "Do you have plans in place for your own protection, though? Once the assault starts? Batman said he thought you would," she said anxiously.

"Of course I do," Lex said reassuringly. "Hidden weapons, secret safe rooms that I can slip into, cleverly disguised shields, a helmet that only looks decorative... I'll go over everything with you in detail later tonight if you want," he said and Diana sighed.

"Yes," she said. "Just to make me feel a little better, if nothing else," she said.

"That was nice of Bruce to try to ease your mind," Lex said tentatively, knowing that Diana and Bruce's reconciliation had ended on a jagged note the day before when Batman had disclosed his new relationship with Shayera to her.

"It was," Diana said. "He surprised me, honestly. And Shayera asked me to lunch to try to work things out… and I guess we mostly did," Diana sighed. "I'm still a little hurt, but as we talked I saw you were right," she said, burying her face in Lex's shoulder as he chuckled softly and kissed the top of her head.

"Shayera wasn't lying about empathizing with me last week over Bruce," Diana groaned. "And they'd been spending a lot more time together since we've started dating, which I hadn't known," she said. "But in the moment, it was so unexpected…"

"You're allowed to be hurt over it," Lex said comfortingly. "But it's good you were able to get the air cleared and see it wasn't personal. And you said it was Shayera's idea to call Lois up?" Lex asked her, sounding really amused, now.

"I have to say, I like the way she thinks," he laughed. "That was a strong strategy play."

Diana giggled.

"She was a tactical military instructor back on Thanagar," she said and Lex snorted.

"Of course she was," he said. "And now you really must tell me every lovely thing that Lois Lane said about me," he grinned wickedly. "I would have loved to have heard that."

"Oh, Lois was _miserable _about it!" Diana laughed. "She actually was very political, though, in how she persuaded everyone. She said she believed you loved me, but it didn't matter if you were lying or not because Batman would have planned the attack as if you were deceiving all of us."

"So after Lois finished, anyone who dared to question the mission would have been publicly doubting Batman's abilities and you know nobody wanted to get caught doing that," Diana chuckled. "Especially with him sitting right there in the front row glowering at everybody."

Lex laughed.

"Lois, Lois, Lois," he said. "She is a treasure." Diana giggled.

"She really is," she said. "Oh!" she burst out. "She and Clark got engaged! Last night," Diana said with a little bounce in her seat. "After they left from having dinner with us," she grinned as she wiggled her eyebrows at him.

Lex smirked proudly.

"I feel like I should call _The Daily Planet _with a scoop," he said. "Lex Luthor's love life lights a fire under Lois Lane to take the next step in hers."

"She would kill you," Diana laughed, collapsing against his side. "But only because it's true."

Up on the Watchtower, the Green Lantern and Vixen had accompanied an eagerly curious Lois and a gently patient Clark on Lois's tour of the station for her Daily Planet article.

Clark did most of the heavy lifting on the tour, willingly explaining the station's features to Lois in the kind of excessive detail that spoke to his day job as a journalist. Lois seemed to appreciate that he offered as much information as he could without being asked and although she asked a lot of questions, John got the sense that it was far fewer questions than she would have been asking either him or J'onn had they been the ones guiding her visit.

Hell, he never would have guessed that her readers would find the cafeteria's rotating menus or soon-to-be-arriving new chef as interesting as the various types of monitors they used or the number of javelin shuttles or the layout of the conference rooms or their workout and training facilities.

"I'd rather have too much information than too little," Lois had explained when she had caught John's raised eyebrows at Clark's explanation of some of the minutiae of the hallway light's automatic dimming schedule that synced according to the United States' Eastern Time Zone's daylight and evening hours.

"Your readers will really be interested in all this?" Mari had asked her curiously. Lois smiled.

"I'll weave a narrative into it all, of course," she said. "But for your PR purposes, it's important to normalize the idea of a floating space station above the Earth that's staffed by meta-powered humans and aliens," she said.

"Little details such as the station's daily routines will make the Watchtower seem much more relatable to your average human who's somewhat nervous about what goes on up here," she said.

"So it's not really an investigative piece, then," Mari said thoughtfully and Lois actually broke into a full smile.

"Oh, no," she said lightly. "This is - dare I say it, Clark?" she laughed at him. "A fluff piece," she chuckled. "One which Lois Lane, Pulitzer Prize winner, would not deign to undertake except for the fact that I'm the first journalist to report from outer space," she said smugly.

"And, for the fact that it's on the Justice League, who are notoriously closed-mouthed about granting interviews and tours," she winked at John.

"Except for Superman!" Clark protested with a smile.

"Yes, except for you, dear," Lois said with a laugh, leaning over to peck his cheek briefly. "But no one knows that Superman's top two profilers are his girlfriend and himself."

"His fiancée, I think you mean," Clark said with a very satisfied twinkle in his eye. "And you weren't my girlfriend when Superman first started giving you interviews," he said.

"No," Lois chuckled slowly, "but I was still Superman's colleague," she laughed. "Which no one knew at the time. Including me."

"That's why I picked you to write the first piece on Superman," Clark said with a cute grin. "I had seen you in action firsthand and knew you'd be perfect."

"Is that the only reason why?" Vixen teased him and Clark actually looked a little bashful.

"I may have had a small crush," Clark mumbled.

"A small one?" Lois said playfully.

"An enormous one," Clark admitted, his eyes laughing.

"Which it still took Smallville here over a year and a half to act on," Lois giggled.

"You are a very intimidating woman," Clark said completely seriously and John chuckled.

"I'll say," he said. "You did a good job rallying the troops today," he said to her with admiration.

"Ugh," Lois said with disgust. "If only I hadn't had to say anything the slightest bit positive about Lex Luthor in order to get this tour," she grumbled.

"Not that I really think him being in love with Diana is positive," she frowned. "But the fact that he's not lying about it, apparently? And I had to say so? Ew," she said with feeling.

"I hear that," Mari sighed. "I heard you had dinner with him," she said conspiratorially.

"And got very drunk," Lois said dryly, to which John and Vixen both laughed out loud.

"That's fair," John said. "I got drunk off my ass last night, too," he said before frowning again.

"What?" Clark asked him.

"It's just, I can't remember how I got home last night, and it's been bugging me," John said slowly. "I know I haven't drunk like that in awhile, but I never used to blackout when I did," he said.

"You don't drive, though?" Clark asked him and John shook his head.

"No," he said gratefully. "I live in New York. I don't have a car."

"And you got home safe?" Lois asked. "Everything still in your wallet?"

"Yeah," John said. "And I woke up in bed, too. Fully clothed," he said, "shoes and all."

"Well, we are getting older," Mari said ruefully. "And you were drinking Jack."

"Yeah," John grunted. "I'm sure that's it. It just stings, to feel like an old man," he chuckled.

"Aw, you're only getting sexier with age, boo," Mari said flirtatiously. "I personally don't think men hit their peak form until at least their late thirties, if not their forties."

"Well," John said with pleasure. "Nowhere to go but up, then, I suppose," he said and Vixen winked.

"If only someone would say that about women as they age," Lois grumbled.

"Preach," Mari said, reaching out to give her a fist bump.

As Lois wrapped up her tour and she and Clark got ready to take a javelin back down to Earth, John looked at Vixen.

"I thought I'd stay up here tonight," he said. "Since we have an early day again tomorrow with briefings. You want to keep me company?" he asked her seductively, causing a wide smile to break out on Mari's face.

"I'd love to," she said, wrapping her hand around his neck before pulling him in for a kiss.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then," Clark said to the two of them with a smile as he and Lois got on board the shuttle.

Back in Vixen's room on the station, John had an unusually tender look in his eyes when Mari joined him in bed. Her eyebrows asked the question for her.

"I really appreciated what you did for me today, baby," John said to her, reaching his hand out to stroke her cheek. "Standing up for me like that to Bats and Shayera."

"You deserved it," she said to him sincerely. "You're a good man, John."

"Not always," he said honestly, reaching for her hand and bringing it up to his lips so that he could kiss her palm in an unexpectedly sweet display of affection that wasn't his normal style.

"I've been a real ass to the Princess lately, in all honesty. But I tried to mend that fence today," he said, moving on to start kissing Mari's fingertips one by one.

"That right there says you're a good man," Mari said, smiling. "That you were willing to admit your faults and patch things up."

"Mm," John murmured, pressing a gentle kiss to the inside of her wrist as Vixen let out a soft sigh. "And you're a good woman," he said, moving in to kiss her neck as her hand slipped up to cradle his head.

He kissed along her jawline before pulling her lips into a deep kiss, but it was slower and altogether sweeter than the types of kisses that Mari was accustomed to receiving from him. Not that she was complaining.

And when John refused to let Mari do any work that night as he took his time ravishing her, and when he took firm control of their pace and kept everything more languid and deliberate than usual, Mari was convinced that it wasn't just her imagination that his green eyes were glowing with more intensity than normal. And more affection.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27**

"Who's missing?" Lex said impatiently from the head of the oval table inside the cloaked Legion of Doom headquarters as he looked down at the assembled cadre of evildoers at ten p.m. on Sunday night.

"Goldface? Star Sapphire?" Lex said with disgust. "Anybody heard from them?"

Heads shook around the table full of super-villains; some villains more super than others, it was true, but Lex had organized their meager and magnificent abilities alike into a coalition of do-badders who lent each other their support and enhanced capabilities for whatever nefarious deeds an individual member could dream up.

Wanted to rob Metropolis Savings and Trust? Worried about the Justice League foiling well-laid plans? Have no fear, Lex's Legion of Doom was here - for a cool twenty-five percent of the caper's gross profits, which went directly into Lex's pockets, of course.

But the villains had to admit, ever since the Justice League had formed several years ago, it was getting harder and harder to pull off successful heists due to the increased coordination and teaming up of the superheroes, and it was mostly agreed that the Legion of Doom was an irritating but necessary evil.

There were a few dissenters, of course, who chose not to join Lex's ranks - most notably Grodd and Ultra-Humanite, who refused to lower themselves to working with Lex; Grodd because he viewed Lex as an inferior homo sapien, and Ultra-Humanite who viewed Lex as simply inferior. But upon their capture and subsequent imprisonment in Blackgate by the Justice League, the few remaining hesitants swiftly signed up to side with Lex.

Except for the Joker, of course, but it was rumored that he and Lex had a private understanding based largely on mutual avoidance.

"Let'ssss ssstart without them," Copperhead hissed, flicking his snake-like tongue out at Lex. "They ssssshould buy a watch."

"Star Sapphire shouldn't have dumped old Clockmaster, here," Livewire called out to an appreciative round of hoots and hollers from the villains as she elbowed the precisely regulated and time oriented man sitting to her right.

"Her loss," Tempus frowned, removing his glasses to polish them on his waistcoat. "Luthor, I must insist that we begin," he said. "The time is now 10:03 p.m. exactly and we are behind schedule."

"All right, all right," Lex said with an easy smile. "Well, I'm sure you've all been reading the tabloids this week," he smirked to some wolf whistles and catcalls.

"What can I say?" Lex said with a pretentious preen. "I'm simply irresistible," he sighed sarcastically.

"I'll say," Tala muttered sadly under her breath. Her long unrequited crush on Lex had been the motivating factor for the Transylvanian being one of the first villains to join the Legion of Doom and she'd been sorely disappointed to be brushed aside by the evil genius time and again as little more than an annoying gnat who he barely tolerated.

She'd held out hope, however, clinging to the belief that one day Lex would let go of his silly prejudices against magic and recognize her for the powerful sorceress she was, not to mention the sexy woman who he always seemed to look right through. Until Lex had suddenly taken up with Wonder Woman last week, to Tala's great dismay.

"You should let me cheer you up, baby," Shade said smoothly from beside her. "Some of us appreciate the dark and shadows."

"Oh, really?" Tala said with surprise, turning to look at him. The albino villain gave her a suave smile as he tipped his top hat to her. Tala hesitated. Truly, she hadn't been paying any attention to anyone besides Lex since joining the Legion, which was two years ago, now. The longest dry spell she'd ever had, and for what?

"I believe I will take you up on that," Tala said slowly, giving him a little purple-lipped smile in return. Shade beamed at her and gallantly lifted her hand to his lips.

"After the meeting, then," he murmured and she nodded, keeping her hand in his as he lowered them back down.

"Naturally," Lex was continuing to speak, "my primary objective is the destruction of the Watchtower and the death of as many Justice League members as possible."

Outside, Diana bit her lip as she listened in through the communicators that Batman had outfitted each League member with. She knew Lex was just putting on a good show… but she worried about the nervous glances that she saw her team members Obsidian and The Shining Knight trading back and forth.

She couldn't read Vibe's expression due to his sunglasses, but he turned his head to face her.

"It's gotta feel weird to hear him say that," he said to her around his chewing gum.

Obsidian and Sir Justin glanced back at them.

"Well, I know he's lying," Diana said, frowning. "He knows we're all listening in," she said.

"Sure," Vibe said, cracking his gum.

"But doesn't it give you chills down your spine to hear him talk about killing us all? Like it's something he's talked about doing a dozen times before? Nobody in there is surprised at what he's saying," he said and unfortunately, Diana couldn't disagree with that, because the Legion's meeting was flowing right along as Lex started to outline his seductive plans to worm vital security details out of her.

"Well," Diana said slowly, "thank Hera that he's reformed, then," she said firmly.

Sir Justin regarded her solemnly for a moment.

"If Lord Luthor has indeed repented of his misdeeds, then thou hast truly wrought a noble work, Your Highness," he said to her.

"_If,_" Obsidian muttered, turning away to scan the forest for possible rogues, or the still absent Goldface and Star Sapphire.

"We need to cut the chatter and pay attention," Diana redirected briskly. "It's almost time for the assault to begin."

Inside, Sinestro was aggressively questioning Lex about the details of his plan.

"What makes you think the Amazon will give up the information you need?" he asked Lex.

"I don't need much," Lex said, "and she's already living with me," he smirked. "One day, her security badge for the javelin launch site will get misplaced," he sighed.

"Like she won't see through that," Sinestro scoffed.

Lex chuckled darkly.

"When clothes are flying everywhere because the sex is so hot, she won't think twice about a few items going missing in the fray," Lex bragged to a chorus of lewd sound effects and comments.

Diana blushed. She knew that Lex was probably mentally upgrading his attack plans from stun and arrest to kill after hearing the Legion disrespect her like that, even though it was in response to his deliberate baiting.

She had cradled Lex in her arms for over an hour last night because, despite his brave facade as he prepared her for what he'd have to say about her, his eyes had been so troubled and guilt-ridden at the thought of mocking her to the Legion of Doom that Diana couldn't help but hold him close as she kissed his bald head again and again and reassured him that she'd still love him afterwards.

"Diana will have to fly out to the beaming site to get to work that day," Lex was continuing, "which will give me the time I need to hack into the shuttle bay's security through the chip in her badge. With control of the javelins, we'll be able to coordinate our attack on three levels."

"One crew will swap places with Watchtower personnel at the beaming site and disable the station's sensors, allowing the team of javelins to arrive undetected. Additionally, Sinestro and Star Sapphire will approach through space and disable the outer defense weaponry to ensure that the shuttles arrive safely," Lex said.

"And since Diana _trusts_ me," he said with belittling amusement, "and tells me about her friends, it will be easy to plan the attack for when our most powerful enemies are present so that we can take them all out in a single, well-coordinated strike."

As Lex spoke the final three words, Diana's team tensed. At the word 'strike,' they heard all hell break loose inside the base.

Lex ducked as Batman, Captain Marvel, and Black Canary crashed through the ceiling ductwork into the center of the conference table, joined by a rapidly re-sizing Atom who had been sitting undetected in tiny form on the table in front of Luthor the entire time.

As Batman's batarangs sliced through the air, knocking out Cheetah and Copperhead, Captain Marvel charged across the tabletop and took a flying leap towards Rampage. The super strong woman had leapt to her feet in anger and managed to grab the underside of the table and flip it over before Marvel tackled her to the floor.

At the same time that Batman's team had dropped from the sky, Superman and Steel had punched through a wall, with Zatanna and The Ray right behind them. Zatanna quickly targeted Atomic Skull, who had immediately started firing radioactive blasts at Superman. With a muttered enchantment, Skull's shots turned to flowers instead. He howled in frustration and charged towards the magician.

Meanwhile, Shayera and Red Tornado were taking out a second wall, which Gypsy had phased through ahead of them. Sand slipped through as soon as Shayera's mace had opened up a crack, aided by Tornado's wind power.

Shade had pulled Tala up with him as soon as the attack began and cast an inky black darkness with his Shadow Staff around them, and the two began running through the dark corridor towards the exit, but Sand had separated himself out into individual granules and scattered himself through the shadows until he hit their solid forms, where he re-coalesced and began to attack Shade, aiming for his staff.

Tala began to chant an incantation, but Shayera burst through the darkness, gently trailing her mace under her as she flew so as not to accidentally hurt Sand. Tala screamed in agony as the Nth metal brushed against her and disrupted her magical abilities and Shayera, with her target marked, punched her out.

Clayface was running for the exit, too, rapidly changing from one Justice League member to another as he tried to dodge attacks and sneak his way outside. But J'onn had expected his diversion and kept a telepathic lock on him as he flew after him. When the Martian Manhunger grabbed "Red Tornado," Clayface changed to a liquidized form and slipped out of his grasp.

Batman had planned for that tactic, though, which is why Booster Gold had been following right behind J'onn. As soon as Clayface became amorphous, Booster used his future tech vacuum to suck him into the specialized containment canister that he had strapped to his back.

It was an effective plan, but that hadn't stopped Booster from bitching to Batman about it over the weekend briefings. ("You _are _a janitor," Bats had growled at him in disgust. "Don't blame me for making you do your _actual _job for a change.")

Killer Frost had tried to escape via the high route by sliding along an icy path that she created for herself, but Vixen tapped her necklace and went charging after her as a polar bear, easily catching up to her and slapping her into unconsciousness with a massive paw.

Wildcat, meanwhile, was taking on Bloodsport in hand-to-hand combat.

"Just like bein' back at the Meta-Brawl, huh, big guy," Ted grinned as he wiped the floor with his former cage fighting opponent. "And ain't no surprise," Ted said as he body-slammed a grunting Bloodsport to the ground. "I'm still undefeated," Wildcat smirked.

Underneath the table, Lex had quickly strapped on his shielded helmet and arm gauntlets and grabbed his laser guns that he had hidden in preparation for the assault. He re-emerged to see Superman blocking Atomic Skull's attack on Zatanna and taking a hefty punch from the villain who had been stripped of his radioactive powers, but still had his super strength and combat skills.

Bizarro had noticed Superman and, once he recovered from his initial confusion at the attack, hurled himself across the room at his counterpart. Superman had just gotten a blow off on Atomic Skull when Bizarro punched him through the remains of the wall he had entered through.

Skull turned his attention back to Zatanna, who was scanning the room for Silver Banshee.

"Look out!" Black Canary yelled, knocking Atomic Skull to the ground with a flying kick to his back.

"Thanks," Zatanna said, eyes wide. She wasn't super-powered or a great fighter, although her magical abilities were widely renowned. Batman and Shayera had wanted her on the inside assault, though, to quickly take down Atomic Skull's radioactive blasts, which could do the most serious damage to League members out of almost all of the villains present.

She had been paired with Superman and the almost equally-strong Steel for the sole purpose of being protected from Atomic Skull once she had delivered her neutralizing attack. Steel, however, was busy fighting Giganta at the moment.

Zatanna refocused on finding her second target, Silver Banshee, who possessed disabling vocal abilities much like Black Canary's.

"Gotcha," she murmured, seeing the Banshee opening her mouth preparing to scream. "Silencio semporium!" Zatanna yelled first, and Silver Banshee hacked and coughed as nothing came out of her throat.

"Lexy, Lexy, you're a naughty boy," the Toymaker sing-songed as he strode towards Lex, exploding yo-yo in hand. Lex shot him in the knee and the Toymaker yelped and collapsed.

"Shame on you!" he cried, launching his yo-yo towards him. "Around the world!" he yelled.

A batarang knocked it off course and it clattered to the ground, exploding as it went. Lex raised an eyebrow and gave Batman a little nod.

"Atom!" Lex yelled suddenly.

Metallo had passed behind a crowd of fighting villains and was running towards the still grappling Superman and Bizarro but the Atom, who was supposed to shrink down to get inside his android body in order to disable it, had just gotten shot by Devil Ray with a poisoned dart.

Steel threw off Giganta and came rushing forward to attack Devil Ray, who tried to fend him off with his lasers, but the lasers were no match for Steel's metal suit and Devil Ray went down while Batman injected the Atom with an antidote from his Batbelt.

Lex groaned to himself and ran after Metallo, who was making a beeline for the battling Kryptonian and his clone.

"Aagh!" Bizarro yelled as Metallo shoved past him, the cyborg's kryptonite heart affecting Superman's clone as much as it would affect Superman.

Bizarro stumbled and fell to the floor just as Superman realized who had burst into the room and doubled over in weakness as the kryptonite affected him, too.

Metallo laughed as he raised his arm to fire his kryptonite cannon into Superman's heart. Clark forced himself to cross his arms in front of his chest to try to protect himself, even though he felt so weak that he could hardly lift them.

He ought to be able to survive a few blasts, if he kept his heart shielded, he thought to himself. Unless Metallo had upgraded his lasers since their last meeting, Clark thought with dismay.

There was a laser blast and Metallo stumbled and fell forward, his shot going low and hitting Superman in the leg. Clark cried out in pain as the kryptonite flooded his system, but getting hit in the leg was better than in the heart or the head, he told himself.

Metallo turned to face Lex Luthor, coolly standing behind him with a grimly determined look on his face. As Metallo's lasers rotated away from Clark and towards the former leader of the Legion of Doom, Lex blasted him in the chest again and again.

Metallo fell backwards, landing on Superman, who grunted and feebly tried to shove him off, because the cyborg's Kryptonite heart was still draining the Man of Steel's strength. Lex continued to fire, not sure if the cyborg was disabled or merely fallen, but after a few more shots, Lex hesitantly approached.

Metallo appeared to be immobile so Lex reached down to tug him off of Superman, but grunted in surprise.

"He's too heavy," Lex muttered, suddenly realizing how much the metal alloyed robotic suit weighed that kept Metallo's human consciousness alive.

Superman's skin had taken on a grey pallor and his breathing was getting ragged. Lex glanced out at the chaos going on in the main room and cursed.

"Hold on," he told Clark, setting down his guns.

Lex reached into his suit jacket's interior pocket and pulled out a long knife. He slipped it into Metallo's chest panel and began working to pry it open. When he had the Kryptonite heart revealed, Lex reached in to cut the wires connecting it.

A soft hand on his wrist stopped him.

"You'll kill him," Clark wheezed out.

"Better him than you," Lex said shortly, quickly slicing through the connections and lifting the heart out. He strode across the room and deposited it as far from Superman and Bizarro as possible.

"The arm cannons drew their kryptonite from the heart," Lex said, coming back to stand by Superman and lifting his laser guns up again at the ready in case he needed to defend them both.

"I don't know if putting it in the corner of the room is far enough away for you to get your strength back, but it won't kill you now, at least," he said.

"Thank you," Clark rasped out softly.

Lex winked at him.

"Tell Lois to cross one of my assassination attempts off of her shit list," he said.

Outside the Legion of Doom's headquarters, the few villains that had made it outside were being quickly disposed of by the Flash, Wonder Woman, and the Green Lantern's teams.

On John's team, Supergirl was pounding KGBeast to a pulp while GL trapped Evil Star in an energy bubble, until Sinestro emerged and, rather than fleeing, came straight for the Green Lantern to attack him.

"Take Evil Star," John yelled to Vigilante and Fire as he and Sinestro began firing energy bursts at each other.

Their fight took them past the Flash and the Green Arrow battling with Livewire and Diana, who had lassoed Parasite and was swinging him into a tree. The two lanterns fought themselves deeper into the swamp as they traded shots and hurled energy constructs at each other.

Inside, the battle was starting to simmer down as villain after villain was subdued and restrained.

"Superman!" Batman said, rushing to his side as the frenzied fighting subsided and he saw his friend stretched out on the ground in the back room, with Lex standing guard over him.

"He's all right," Lex said. "But we need to deal with that kryptonite heart," he said, indicating with his head where it was lying in a corner of the room. "I have a lead safe we can transport it in," he said.

"Steel can carry it," Clark murmured, trying to sit up.

"We'll take care of it," Batman said, looking at Clark with concern. "Just rest. We'll get you back to the Watchtower soon," he said.

The Bat met Lex's amused eyes as he stood.

"Something you wanted to say to me, Batman?" Lex drawled with a smirk.

Batman grunted and stalked out of the room.

"I think that was a 'thank you,'" Superman mumbled. Lex laughed.

"Where's GL?" The Flash said as Wonder Woman led her team back over to the main base with Parasite and Lady Lunar in captivity.

"He went off fighting Sinestro," Supergirl panted as she flew up to them. "We were busy taking down KGBeast and Evil Star."

"He never came back?" Diana frowned. "GL, do you copy?" she said into her communicator. "Green Lantern?" she said again when she didn't get a response.

Ollie looked grim.

"You let him go off by himself?" the Green Arrow said chidingly to Kara.

"I was fighting KGBeast," she said angrily, "and he told Vig and Fire to take Evil Star when Sinestro attacked him. We were following orders," she said.

"I'll go look for him," Wally said, immediately running off through the swamp to scout the area.

"John, please come in," Diana continued to repeat over the communicators.

Ice gave Oliver a look.

"You shouldn't scold her for doing what her leader asked her to," she said quietly to the Green Arrow.

"Yeah, that's not cool, man," Ralph Dibney, the Elongated Man chimed in. "You know how bad you would've gotten chewed out if you didn't listen to the Flash during the battle?"

Oliver Queen grunted and crossed his arms over his chest.

"We were in teams to have each other's backs," he said. "John shouldn't have gone off without backup."

"Well, that's on him," Ralph said. "You can't question your leader in the heat of the battle."

"I'm sure they will correct the Green Lantern for not utilizing backup in the debriefing," Ice pointed out. "But his team was not to blame."

Ollie didn't say it out loud, but he hoped that John would be alive to be at the debriefing. Diana still wasn't getting a response.

"GL!" the Flash cried out when he saw the Green Lantern slumped against a tree. "GL, you ok, buddy?" he said, patting his cheeks and feeling his wrist for a pulse.

Wally heaved a huge sigh of relief when he realized that John was alive and breathing.

"He's here, he's alive," Wally said over the comms to Diana. "Be right back with him. He's knocked out."

"Oh, thank Hera," Diana breathed out.

A few seconds later, the Flash ran up with GL thrown over his shoulder, still unconscious. He gently set him down on the ground.

"We need to get him up to the Watchtower," Diana said with concern. "I don't see any obvious injuries," she said, gently looking over his head and body.

"Their lantern blasts might not leave a mark, depending what they did to each other," Wally said.

"John!" Vixen said, coming outside and seeing her boyfriend passed out on the ground.

"He's alive," Wally said quickly.

Diana snapped her head back towards the base.

"Is everything wrapped up in there?" she asked Mari anxiously.

"Yes, yeah, it's done, girl," Vixen said distractedly, running her hands lightly over John's head.

Diana took off jogging for the base, pausing just inside the door to take in the destruction as she scanned the room looking for Lex.

"He's in the back," Batman said to her, noticing her approach.

"He's fine," Shayera added for him with a smile to Diana as Bruce went back to talking on his communicator to coordinate the prisoner transports to Blackgate Prison.

Diana let out the breath she'd been holding since the battle had begun and made her way around the bound super-villains to the back room.

"Lex!" she cried with relief as she entered the room filled with rubble and saw him sitting on the floor next to Superman, now that the danger was over.

"Diana," Lex said with equal amounts of relief in his voice as he stood up.

He grabbed her face and kissed her hard as she ran up to him.

She let out a shaky breath when they broke apart and hugged him tight, kissing his neck and squeezing his ribs so hard that he let out a strangled, "Diana!"

"Sorry," she mumbled, quickly easing off on her pressure as she realized that she was using a little more Amazon strength than she usually allowed herself.

"Lex Luthor survives the assault on the Legion of Doom only to be crushed to death by his girlfriend afterwards," he said to her jokingly.

She groaned and buried her face in his shoulder.

"I was so worried about you," she murmured to him.

"I was worried about you, too," he said in her ear. "But I'm fine," he said. "Not even a scratch."

"Me, too," Diana said. "Well. Maybe a few scratches," she amended with a half-laugh. "But nothing I'm not used to."

"Mm," Lex growled. "I'm not used to you getting battered and bruised at all," he said with dissatisfaction. "I can't say that I like it," he frowned.

"Something else you and Lois have in common," Clark teased from behind them.

"Clark!" Diana said, suddenly putting the pieces together. "Why are you on the floor? What happened?"

"Lex saved my life," Clark grinned.

Diana turned and stared at Lex, who shrugged somewhat bashfully.

"Well, Lois said such nice things about me to the Justice League," is what he said, though, with a growing twinkle in his eye. "I think that we're becoming friends," he mused as Clark began to laugh.

Diana snorted.

"You wouldn't be the first person who did something because he was scared of Lois," Diana said knowingly as Lex chuckled.

Several hours later, Sinestro made his way to a safehouse and flopped down exhausted on the bed. Only to hear a banging on his door immediately afterwards.

"What the hell?" he murmured.

He raised an eyebrow as he peered through the peephole.

"You seriously showed up late, hid like a coward, and then tailed me all the way here?" he said to Star Sapphire when he opened the door.

"Not exactly," she said airily as she breezed passed him into the apartment. "The boss wants to talk to you," she said, handing him a phone.

"The boss can go fuck himself after he betrayed us all today," Sinestro growled.

"Just answer the phone," Star Sapphire said as it began to ring from a blocked number.

"Look, you sonofabitch," Sinestro began as soon as he answered.

"Sinestro, Sinestro," the deep voice soothed. "Such hasty words. I chose _you,_ Sinestro," the villainous mastermind continued. "We don't need the rest of those fools."

Sinestro frowned and looked up at Star Sapphire who smiled at him.

"You _chose_ me?" he said into the phone. "Bullshit. I could have gotten my ass kicked in there and you know it."

"Well, you had to prove your worth," the smooth voice continued. "Nothing in life comes for free."

"So I've heard," Sinestro grumbled.

"Come now, don't be bitter," the shadowy voice replied. "You saw how neatly I incapacitated the Green Lantern for you."

"Yeah," Sinestro grunted. "I could have handled that myself."

"Of course you could have," his connection purred. "But then how would I have proved myself to you?"

"All right," Sinestro sighed. "I'm listening."


	28. Chapter 28

_**Chapter 28**_

Lex's brown eyes were burning like molten pools of lava when he gripped the back of Diana's neck and pressed his forehead to hers as soon as they got inside the door of their penthouse after the Justice League's successful attack on the Legion of Doom.

"Marry me," Lex breathed into her lips.

"Yes," said Diana. "Of course. You know I will," she smiled at him, lifting her hands up to rest them on Lex's forearms as he continued to cradle her head.

"No," Lex said to Diana with more urgency, staring deeper into her eyes.

"Marry me now. Tomorrow. Or in a few days. This week. As soon as we can plan the wedding and get your friends to show up."

Diana's eyes flew open wider and she stared at Lex, not even realizing that her heart was thudding in her chest and that her breathing had gotten hard and fast.

"Really?" she asked Lex in a whisper, as a smile a little too shy to come out until she was sure he was serious stayed barely hidden at the corners of her mouth.

"Yes, really," Lex said adamantly. "I can't live without you anymore, Diana," he growled.

"But I just - I can't - I need to marry you first," Lex said most incoherently, which by itself told Diana how much he was struggling for some reason with the idea of having sex with her.

Diana wasn't an idiot; she knew the fact that she was a virgin held a lot of appeal for Lex even though it made him want to feel extra secure in their relationship before they consummated it.

But she also knew that Lex's moral compass really was realigning and it was badly confusing the former super-villain.

Lex clearly held Diana in higher regard than he held anyone else on the planet. The very fact that he had gotten angry over Bruce's neglect of her at the charity ball in the first place and reached out to her that night with the goal of manipulating Bruce into dating her - not manipulating Diana into dating himself - told Diana that Lex's love for her was pure.

The one and only truly pure inclination of his heart, no doubt.

And given that Lex had a long and varied sexual history, with many of his encounters being casual and some no doubt even being completely selfish or mean-spirited in nature, given who Lex used to be… Diana suspected that Lex was feeling conflicted about putting his beloved marble goddess of idealistic perfection into the same category as the women before her without something special that set sex between them apart.

Something, perhaps, that made Lex feel worthy of her - even though, of course, he already was worthy and even though he did realize that Diana wasn't, in actual fact, perfect.

Still… if getting married first would make Lex feel better? And if it meant that they could have sex?

"Let's get married then," Diana said, her full smile dazzling Lex as it broke across her face. "As soon as we can. In a few days."

Lex blinked and his hands on her head loosened their grip.

"Really?" he was the one to ask now, his hands lightly brushing over her face as if he couldn't believe that he wasn't imagining that she'd spoken.

"You're sure?" Lex asked her, tracing her lips with his fingertips, needing to feel the words actually coming out of her mouth in case his ears were lying to him.

"I'm positive," Diana said, pressing a kiss to his fingers as she clasped his hand in both of hers.

"I will never change my mind about being with you, Lex Luthor," she said softly but with a heartfelt conviction that Lex could feel coming out of her soul.

As Lex's eyes filled with tears and he stared at her helplessly, overcome, Diana added, "And you can tie me up with my lasso if you don't believe me, and I'll still tell you the same thing."

Her teasing smile jolted Lex out of his reverie, although he could only manage half of a chuckle before he was kissing Diana, not hard and urgent but soft and sweet and so tenderly, drinking from a wine that he knew that he shouldn't by rights be able to afford and was therefore going to savor.

"I love you," Diana whispered brokenly against him, tears filling her own eyes, too, as she clung to the front of Lex's shirt while he cupped her face with his hands and continued kissing her.

"I love you so much that it scares me, Diana Prince," Lex murmured into her mouth. "God help me," he added.

Up on the Watchtower, the Green Lantern was still unconscious after his altercation with Sinestro and J'onn and the other members of the League were still in the dark as to what, exactly, had happened to John Stewart.

"I wish he hadn't gone off by himself," Vixen murmured as she sat in the medbay next to John's sickbed, her fingers intertwined with his.

"Yeah, the Green Arrow was pretty cranky about that after the battle when he realized what GL had done," the Flash said, in between mouthfuls of french fries.

"I can't say I blame him," Vixen sighed. "Leave it to John to be the hero instead of calling for backup. After all the lectures he gives the rest of the Justice League about teamwork and collaboration…"

"Things were happening really fast," Wally said, slurping on his milkshake now.

"Sinestro came out and attacked John so hard that he knocked Evil Star out of his green energy bond. I'm sure GL didn't want to leave Kara without backup in case she couldn't handle KGBeast," Wally said, "and I don't think Vig could have handled Evil Star on his own."

The villainous Evil Star had flying powers and shot energy bursts and Vigilante, while a sharpshooter, wasn't superpowered at all. He was a good second to Fire, though, who the Green Lantern had ordered to take on Evil Star with him, and if Supergirl's battle with KGBeast had turned against her, Vigilante would have been helpful in taking shots at her opponent while Kara kept him from getting pummeled by the much stronger baddie.

"I know," Vixen said in frustration. "I know you're right. But I still hate that he made that sacrifice."

"He wouldn't be GL if he didn't," said Wally somberly.

Vixen gave him a tiny smile.

"You sure you don't want me to get you something to eat, Vixen?" the Flash asked her. "I could run down to the commissary and be right back."

"It's ok, Wally, but thanks," she said, stretching her legs out in front of her without letting go of John's hand.

"I had a protein bar earlier. I don't feel much like eating right now," she said, meeting Wally's caring eyes with her troubled ones.

"He'll be ok," Wally said reassuringly. "J'onn said his brain wave activity seemed normal. And his stats and vital signs are good."

"I know," Vixen said helplessly. "But why won't he wake up, then?"

"He will," the Flash said hopefully as he reached out to rub Mari's arm. She sighed.

"Thanks for sitting here with me," she said to the red speedster with a little smile. "I appreciate the company."

"Sure thing, Vixen," Wally said. "Bats and Shayera felt bad they had to go back to Gotham instead of staying up here, but you know Bats doesn't like to leave his city unprotected. Even after a freakin' battle with the Legion of Doom," Wally laughed.

Vixen chuckled.

"Only Batman," she said dryly. "Shayera is good for him, I think," she said reflectively.

"She'll probably keep him from overdoing it tonight. I'm glad they got together," Mari said, and although she didn't say it out loud, the fact that Shayera was now off of the table as a dating option for John wasn't the only reason why she was happy for the Dark Knight.

Mari genuinely liked Batman. His dry sense of humor ticked her funny bone and she enjoyed trading light-hearted snarky jabs with him from time to time when they were on monitoring duty together. Or, as was more often the case, when she was on duty but Batman was on the computers anyway, working on cases when he was technically off the clock.

He needed to rest more, Mari thought. And love more. It had been so good to see a few rare smiles on his face since he and Shayera had started dating. Except for what the two of them had done to John, in hurting her boyfriend's feelings so terribly, Mari felt extremely supportive of their relationship.

"When they're not being absolute idiots, that is," she said to Wally.

Wally snorted.

"At least they made a nicer card this time," he said, picking up the thoughtful Get Well card that Bats and Shy had left for John in case he woke up before they came back up to the Watchtower the following day.

Their beautifully decorated homemade card was a huge improvement over last week's thanks-for-being-an-asshole card and the note they had written on the inside was equally sweet:

_Sorry we can't be there to keep you company overnight, John, but crime in Gotham never sleeps. We are wishing for a speedy recovery and we'll be back up to check on you tomorrow. Get well soon! Love, Bats and Shy. _

Vixen gave Wally a look.

"As if I wouldn't have murdered the both of them if they dared to bring anything else to John, after the stunt they pulled last week," she said seriously.

Wally giggled.

"I think you might have scared Batman," he said.

"I know I scared you," Vixen said playfully, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

Wally turned a little red and laughed behind his hand, making Vixen giggle, too. They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, watching John's heart rate monitor and the steady rise and fall of his chest, until Wally spoke again.

"There's been too much drama and bad feelings on the team these last few weeks," he said in a sad voice. "I wish we would all go back to being friends."

"Things seem like they might be getting better, now, don't they?" Vixen asked him. "I thought people were patching things up."

"The Founders are, yeah," Wally said. "But the rest of the Justice League?" He shook his head. "I heard some pretty ugly comments before and after the battle," he sighed.

"About Diana?" Vixen asked him and Wally nodded.

"Diana and Lex," he said. "I don't think Green Arrow would normally have been so upset with John, either, about going off by himself and getting hurt if Ollie hadn't already been frustrated over the situation with Lex and the Legion of Doom."

"That's a hard one," Vixen sighed. "I was surprised, I have to admit," she said, "that Lex didn't sabotage our attack."

"Really?" Wally asked her curiously.

She nodded.

"You weren't?" Mari said skeptically. "Not even a little bit?"

Flash shook his head negatively and grinned.

"Nope," he said. "Me and J'onn had dinner with Lex and Diana last week, and man oh man, does Lex have it bad," he said. "He adores her. If she was an ice cream sundae, Lex would have been eating her up with a spoon."

Vixen let out an amused laugh.

"That bad, huh?" she teased. Wally smiled.

"He's crazy about her," he said. "And it's not like he's not a megalomaniac anymore," Wally said. "He still wants to take over the world. But now he's going to do it with green energy and granola bars."

Vixen laughed out loud.

"Is that right?" she said.

Wally shrugged and was about to answer when John's heart rate monitor suddenly increased. The Green Lantern shifted and let out a quiet groan.

"I'll go get J'onn," Wally said, jumping up from his chair and zipping out of the room.

"Baby?" Mari said urgently, standing so she could lean more closely over her boyfriend. "John, honey?" she said, gently stroking his cheek. "Can you hear me?"

GL's hand slowly came up and weakly fluttered down on top of hers.

"What happened?" he muttered without opening his eyes.

"I don't know, sweetie," Vixen said softly. "You got separated from everyone while you were fighting Sinestro and then you didn't answer your comms. Wally found you unconscious."

The Flash had just zoomed back into the room to stand on the other side of John's bed. He picked up John's other hand.

"J'onn is on his way down," Wally said. "Good to see ya awake, GL," he said with relief. "You had us worried."

John made an amused sound in the back of his throat.

"It'll take more than Sinestro to take me out," he said.

"Do you remember anything?" Mari asked him.

John tried to shake his head 'no' but groaned in pain.

"My damn head hurts like hell," he muttered, keeping his eyes closed.

"More or less than your hangover headache?" Mari teased him gently, pressing a light kiss to his forehead.

"More," John grunted, which gave Mari pause and made her frown.

"John," the Martian Manhunter said, floating into the room. "I am relieved to see you awake again."

"How long was I out?" John mumbled.

"Over six hours," J'onn answered. "What do you remember?" he asked him.

John thought.

"Fighting Sinestro," he muttered. "Went past Diana and Flash… got deeper into the swamp… we were trading shots but we were both blocking each other, couldn't get a hit in… then -"

He paused.

"It's blank," he said. "Do I have a concussion?"

"No," said J'onn, sounding puzzled. "Nor do you have an obvious head injury. No trauma wounds."

"If I may…?" the Martian Manhunter said. "I can enter your mind. Perhaps I can find the missing memory fragments."

"Is it gonna hurt?" John grunted. "Because it already feels like Mari's elephant is tap-dancing on my brain."

She chuckled softly and brought his hand to her mouth to kiss it.

"Sorry about that, boo," she said gently.

"It will not hurt," J'onn said. "Not when you are cooperative and receptive to the mental intrusion."

"Ok, then," the Green Lantern said. "Go fish."

J'onn closed his eyes and concentrated as he reached out telepathically. He felt John's initial apprehension and sent soothing mental waves to his friend, waiting to probe deeper into his mind until he felt John start to relax and open his mental gates.

At first, John's memories from the battle were scrambled and confused, laced with adrenaline and hyper-focused on survival. J'onn carefully allowed the memories to play unhindered until John and Sinestro went into the swamp.

Abruptly, J'onn hit a blank wall. He carefully backtracked and slowed down the playback, feeling for spikes of panic or trauma that would have caused John to conceal the memories from his conscious mind.

As J'onn cautiously crept closer to the memory block, he began to feel a strong sense of foreboding danger. He sent more comforting energy to John's mind, letting him know that together they could safely face whatever his brain was trying to hide from him.

Suddenly, J'onn gasped out loud. Vixen and Flash jumped and Flash reached both hands out to steady the Martian as he stumbled on his feet next to John's bed.

Inside John's mind, J'onn was frowning to himself. He had been deliberately repelled when he approached the memory. Not surprising in and of itself, given that John's brain had already enacted its self-defense mechanisms when it had buried the memory.

But there had been a split second where J'onn had almost felt a whisper of… something. Another presence in John's mind? But there was nothing there. And none of the lingering scars that J'onn would have expected to see from a crudely performed mental invasion.

J'onn steeled himself and approached John's memory again, planting his mental feet firmly into the playback of the battle with Sinestro to anchor himself as he once again crept closer to the hidden memory. This time, J'onn reduced his mental presence to the lightest stream as he attempted to peer behind the curtain.

The picture was blurred out at first, but then it came into focus. Sinestro firing a shot that felled a tree directly in front of John, causing the Green Lantern to fly backwards to avoid being hit, into Sinestro's waiting energy bonds. As John struggled to get free, the villain reached out and injected a syringe into John's neck.

In the memory, John slumped and fell to the ground as Sinestro released him and flew off.

J'onn withdrew from John's mind and blinked his eyes open.

"You saw the memory?" the Martian asked him.

"Yeah," John grunted. "Drugs aren't Sinestro's usual style," he muttered. "And why didn't he kill me?"

"I believe he was trying to," J'onn frowned. "Pentothal can be fatal when injected into an artery."

"John was injected with pentothal?" Vixen said, surprised.

"It appears so," J'onn said cautiously.

It did appear so.

Except… it was… odd.

In all the times the Justice League had come up against Sinestro, he had never used an injectible drug as a weapon. And the Green Lantern Corps had done battle with Sinestro far more often than the Justice League had, and John was indicating that Sinestro did not use drugs in those skirmishes, either.

"Maybe he had it on hand for Lex," John said, apparently thinking along the same lines of thought as J'onn.

"Interesting," J'onn said, cocking his head to the side as he considered the possibility.

"Out of all of them, Sinestro's the one who would be most likely to walk into that meeting expecting a trap," John said.

"Why is that?" Vixen said.

John gave a mirthless smile.

"Because if he'd been in Lex's shoes, he would have called that meeting as a trap for the Legion of Doom, too," he said. "Maybe he figured he'd arm himself with a weapon Lex wouldn't expect from him, just in case."

"Well, thank goodness he missed your vein when he injected you, GL," Wally said fervently.

"I'll say," Vixen murmured.

"Yes," J'onn said slowly.

He couldn't explain it, but something was not sitting right with him. However -

"May I assist you down to your quarters, John?" the Martian asked him politely, being stronger than Vixen and Wally. "It appears that you are not seriously harmed and I'm sure you would be more comfortable in your own bed."

"Do I have to stand up to get there?" John grumbled, his head still pounding.

J'onn gave a small smile and bent down to scoop the Green Lantern up under his back and knees.

"Hey!" John protested as the Martian began to walk him out into the corridor. "Don't we have a wheelchair or something? Put me down," he insisted. "I can walk."

Vixen and J'onn exchanged a look.

"Wally, honey, why don't you scout ahead and make sure no one's in the hallways so John can maintain his dignity?" Mari said to the Flash.

"Sure thing, Vixen!" Wally said, dashing off.

"It's still the night shift, boo," Mari reassured him as she walked down the hall next to J'onn. "J'onn carrying you is easier. I don't think we have any wheelchairs."

"We don't generally allow people to leave the medbay if they require a wheelchair to do so," J'onn said with a faint smile on his face as he carried John.

"Unless they're Batman," John grunted.

"We don't allow Batman to leave, either," J'onn said dryly. "He just goes."

"And you all are too scared to stop him?" Vixen said, greatly amused.

J'onn sighed. And refused to answer.

"Have you ever tried to stop the tide from coming in, baby?" John rumbled from J'onn's arms.

"Or held a moonbeam in your hand?" Wally asked, popping back into the conversation as he sped to a halt in front of them.

"What?" said John in confusion.

"Are we not quoting _The Sound of Music_?" Wally asked, equally confused.

Vixen giggled.

"That's 'how do you keep a wave upon the sand,' Wally," she said. "Not stop the tide."

"Oh," said the Flash.

"What… are we discussing?" J'onn said slowly.

"_The Sound of Music,_" Wally said. "It's one of my Aunt Iris's favorite movies. We should watch it together, J'onn!" Wally said happily.

"I bet Diana's never seen it either," he added. "Maybe she and Lex would want to watch it with us."

"She and _Lex_…?" John growled as J'onn finally, thankfully, approached the door to the Green Lantern's quarters.

"Well, yeah, GL, they're kind of a couple now, you know," Wally said as J'onn carried John inside and gently laid him in his bed.

John grunted.

"You can't invite Luthor up to the Watchtower, you know," he said back.

"Maybe he'll invite us to his penthouse, then!" Wally said with excitement. "I bet he's got some pretty sweet digs!"

"Oh, my God," Vixen murmured under her breath, catching John's eye, which he was just now daring to open in the darkened shadows of his bedroom with the only light streaming in from the dimmed hallway.

"Don't be jealous, Vixen," Wally said, "Just because me and J'onn are Lex's new best friends," he grinned.

"Jealous was not the word I was looking for," Vixen said in a very dry voice.

"We shall leave you to rest," J'onn rumbled, pushing Wally firmly ahead of him out the door.

Mari saw the smile on the corners of his mouth and that made her smile, too, because dammit, J'onn was another hero who was just too sad too much of the time. It would do him good to go down to Earth and watch a movie with Wally and Diana.

Even if that meant spending time with Lex.

"You will stay with John tonight?" the Martian was asking her as he left.

"You couldn't tear me away," Mari said warmly, looking down at her sick honey, who smiled up at her.

"Got me a good woman here, J'onn," he murmured from the bed.

"Indeed," J'onn agreed with him, giving Mari a kind look before following Wally out into the corridor and allowing the door to shut behind them.

Mari slipped out of her clothes without turning the light on and crawled into bed next to John.

"I was so worried about you tonight," she said to him, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

"I'm not going anywhere, baby," John muttered sleepily.

"See that you don't," Mari said firmly.

"Yes, ma'am," John mumbled as sleep claimed him.

Mari sighed and ran a gentle hand over his head before curling into his side. But it was a long time before she was able to fall asleep, because her heart insisted on keeping a keen ear out for the sound of John's steady breathing.

She didn't mind.


	29. Chapter 29

_**Chapter 29**_

Agent A was waiting in a limo with tinted windows when Batman and Shayera emerged from the javelin pad outside of Gotham well past midnight with Superman propped up between them.

As the masked Alfred Pennyworth exited the car and opened the door for the still-drained, post-kryptonited hero, Shayera took all of Superman's weight and helped him lower himself backwards onto the car's leather seat.

A waiting Lois gripped his shoulders to help hold him steady from inside the car and then Shayera scooped his legs up and placed them in the car, swiveling Superman to be facing forward as she did so.

"We'll see you back at the BatCave," Batman growled into the car.

Lois nodded and was completely unprepared for the whiff of BatGas that the Bat sprayed in her face, knocking her out.

"She's going to hate you for that," Superman said mildly as Lois slumped onto his shoulder.

Batman glared at him.

"I'll live," he grunted before slamming the door shut.

Shayera picked him up and began winging her way towards the cave, the Bat dangling from her arms as she flew.

"I do appreciate that you only gassed me once before showing me the entrance to the BatCave," she said cheerfully in his ear.

Batman grunted.

"Sidekicks are allowed to know their way back to base," he said.

"Sidekick!" Shayera squawked. "I am not a sidekick, buster."

She felt rather than saw her Bat's smirk.

"The rules are different in Gotham, baby," he said smoothly. "The Justice League doesn't exist here. When you're in Gotham, you're either Batman's sidekick or you're Batman."

He paused.

"Or you're in Arkham."

Shayera snorted in laughter.

"Then how come Superman knows his way into the cave?" she said.

Batman didn't answer but his smirk grew even more smug.

"Oh, my God," Shayera breathed in awe. "Does Clark know that he's only a sidekick when he's in Gotham? I bet he doesn't."

"I've always done my best to treat him in a manner appropriate to his demotion when he's in my town," Batman said virtuously. "If he hasn't figured it out by now, it's on him."

Shayera's chest shook against his back with laughter.

"I love you, you ridiculous, snarky man," she said to him. "How come you don't treat me like I've been demoted if I'm such a sidekick?" she murmured flirtatiously in his ear as they continued flying.

"I do," Batman said to her honestly, turning his head to look at her in the starlight. "You naturally take the subordinate role when we're out patrolling," he said to her. "Even though you're kicking more ass than I am," he added with humor.

"You're such a good soldier it probably comes naturally to you," he said as Shayera frowned in thought. "Don't you notice how you always let me take the lead if there's a question of what to do? You look to me to give the order."

"Well, you know Gotham best," Shayera said in surprise. "It's your local criminals, your police force… if we have to deal with petty arrests and gathering evidence for a case, or a particular super-villain you've gone up against before, it makes sense to listen to you," she said.

"That's being practical," she continued, sounding puzzled. "But you're never rude to me about it," she said.

"That's because you never think you know better than me," Batman said with a low chuckle.

"And Clark does?" Shayera said, sounding highly amused.

Batman snorted.

"Do I really need to answer that?" he said.

"But it's your town!" Shayera said in disbelief.

"Yes," Batman said back to her. "This is why I love you. You understand these things without me needing to spell them out," he said to her dryly. "Clark, on the other hand…"

"Gets talked down to by the Bat at every opportunity when he dares to come to Gotham City?" Shayera teased him and he chuckled.

"Exactly."

Inside the limo, the masked Alfred Pennyworth glanced in the rearview mirror at Superman and the passed out Lois Lane as he drove them towards the BatCave.

"I do apologize for the BatGas, sir," he said. "I am afraid that I could not convince Batman to forgo it this once."

"It's probably just as well, Alfred," Superman said with a worn-out smile. "Lois's head might explode if she knew how to get to the BatCave and couldn't tell anyone about it."

"Well, we would not want that," Alfred murmured.

"She won't blame you," Clark promised.

"I should hope not," Alfred said with a shudder.

Lois's temper and tongue were not unknown elements to Agent A due to a handful of very unfortunate calls overheard on speaker phone from a very angry woman to a very self-righteous Bat that had taken place over the last year since she had begun dating Clark.

Territorial was a mild word, at best, to describe Lois's protective streak when it came to Clark and as Superman and Batman tended to clash on occasion…

Alfred was hoping to have made himself scarce by the time that Lois awoke. And to have made Lois a pan of her favorite homemade cinnamon rolls to go with a nice fresh pot of coffee. Perhaps that would keep him out of the firing range of the feisty reporter.

He hoped.

Shayera and Bruce were waiting in the BatCave by the time Agent A's limo pulled in. It wasn't the standard Batcar by far, but Bruce had thoughtfully (although he might deny it was anything but a practicality) called Lois from the Legion of Doom battle aftermath to let her know of Clark's run-in with kryptonite.

She had taken the night train down to Gotham from Metropolis, where Alfred had picked her up at the station and driven her to the javelin launchpad, transforming himself into Agent A en route with the help of a black mask. Batman was unwilling to have Lois Lane picked up in the Batmobile in order to protect both his and Superman's identities and so a limo it was.

Since Clark had no serious injuries aside from the residual weakness from his exposure and shot to the leg of kryptonite, Batman had offered to host him 'in the BatCave' for his recovery, where he had the same solar-light lamps as the Watchtower medbay was equipped with that would more quickly recharge Superman's cells.

But Bruce had undeniably made the offer for Lois's sake, so that she could be near Clark as he recovered. Shayera had helped Bruce carry the healing lamps up to a spare bedroom in the mansion while they waited for Alfred's return so that their friends could rest more comfortably than in the BatCave medbay.

"You pretend you're not, but you're awfully sweet under that gruff exterior," Shayera had smiled against Bruce's chest as she hugged him tight when they had finished setting the room up.

"I'm not the only one," Bruce had said back with a raised eyebrow and a smirk. "Who was it who came down to Gotham to check on a sad and depressed Bat against his will a few weeks ago?"

Shy giggled.

"These defects of character will remain our secret, Bats," she said warningly.

"Pretty sure Lois and Clark are going to figure it out," Bruce sighed back with a smile, looking at the cozy bedroom made ready for their friends, the luxuriously silky bamboo sheets and hand-sewn quilt turned down on the king sized bed that sported an elaborately carved antique wooden headboard. Plush oriental carpets covered most of the original hardwood floor and while the powder blue velvet curtains were drawn shut, the bay windows overlooked Alfred's kitchen garden when they were opened.

Alfred routinely kept the ensuite bathroom stocked with shower supplies and Bruce had placed a thick lavender-scented sleep mask for Lois on her pillow so that she wouldn't be kept up by Clark's recovery lights.

"Pssh," Shayera said breezily. "As long as you insult Clark enough to make up for this unusual display of kindness, he won't suspect a thing," she teased. "And you already got Lois once with the BatGas. If we're lucky, she'll interpret the rest of your goodwill as a bribery attempt to keep her from stabbing you to death in your sleep."

"Which is another reason why we'll be sleeping up in our Batledge bedroom, far from Lois's clutches," Bruce had laughed, bending his head down to kiss Shayera long and hard.

Back down in the BatCave, Alfred opened Clark's door as Bruce and Shayera walked over to assist him upstairs.

"I'll carry you, Clark," Shayera said, bending inside the car to scoop him up in her arms, "and Bruce will carry Lois."

"When will she wake up?" Clark asked with some concern.

"As soon as I give her the Batwake spray," Bruce said casually.

Clark raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't you give it to her now?" he asked Bruce. "Instead of carrying her over to the medbay."

"We're not going to the medbay," Bruce said, "and I don't want her to see the BatCave," he added as he gently tugged Lois out of the car and picked her up.

"And I do not wish to be present when Ms. Lane awakes," Alfred added humorlessly, picking up Lois's overnight bag before shutting the car door.

"We set you up in a room upstairs," Shayera explained as she lazily flapped her wings, mostly hovering in place to keep pace with Bruce as they made their way to the elevator as a group.

"Oh," Clark said with some surprise. "You moved all the lamps up there?" he said, looking to Bruce with a certain amount of wonder on his face.

His friend nodded slightly.

"Just so Lois wouldn't see the cave," Shayera said with a sassy smirk, winking at her fiancé, who had to fight a smile. "Not because we're being nice or anything," she said.

"Of course," Clark said with a soft chuckle. "I expected no less," he said, and even though he was smiling, his eyes still looked dewy and soft and emotional in a way that made Batman feel quite uncomfortable.

"Thank you for calling Lois, Bruce," Clark said a minute later as the elevator deposited them behind the conservatory bookshelf.

Batman grunted.

"Alfred would have gone on strike if he had to listen to another angry phone call from her," he grumbled.

"Indeed," Alfred said dryly. "Because a certain master of the house insists on putting Ms. Lane on speakerphone in my hearing whenever she calls."

"Anywhere in the house is in your hearing when it's Lois," Bruce snarked.

"But one does not need to put her on speakerphone, does one, Master Bruce?" Alfred pointed out.

Bruce's smile won this time.

"I like having a witness," he said. "In case she tries to use something I say against me later."

"I believe the correct phrase is, 'misery loves company,' sir," Alfred said severely.

Clark laughed softly.

"This is what you deal with every day now, Shayera?" he said to the Thanagarian who was still carrying him as she slowly flew through the house.

"What are you talking about?" Shayera said with a laugh. "This is how people are supposed to have conversations," she said easily. "Makes me feel like I'm back home," she said with a smile that couldn't quite hide the catch in her voice, and now her eyes were a little wet and Bruce was meeting them sympathetically.

Clark, too, was looking at Shayera with a lot of empathy.

"Sometimes I envy Kara, having something to miss of Krypton's culture," he said gently.

"You're better off, probably, not knowing anything but Earth," Shayera sighed.

"I don't know," Clark said wistfully, "it's not easy to always feel so alien when I've spent my whole life here. I never feel like I belong, yet I don't have any memories of belonging somewhere else to fall back on," he said.

Bruce didn't react outwardly, but his heart clenched at hearing Clark's words. He and Supes were friends, finally, after an initial touchy start to their relationship which even now dissolved into arguments and sarcasm on a not entirely infrequent occasion. Still, Clark was undoubtedly the best friend he'd had in the League until Shayera and for a long time, the only one who knew Batman's secret identity as Bruce Wayne.

But for all that, Bruce couldn't say that he and Clark were in the habit of sharing overly personal details with each other. So it was somewhat heartbreaking to hear his friend speak so matter-of-factly about an always abiding sense of being an outsider.

"I suppose I can understand that," Shayera was saying to Clark, "but it's awful, too, to know that I can never go back. And that there's nothing left to go back to," she added in a lower voice, referring to the destruction of the Thanagarian homeworld in the Gordanian war.

A destruction that occurred after Shayera refused to let her people destroy the Earth in an attempt at salvation.

"The grass is always greener," Alfred mused.

"What's that?" Shayera said to him, wrinkling her brow.

"The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence," Clark expanded for her, giving Alfred a wry look. "Means it's in our nature to think everyone else has it better, or that we have it worse."

"Everyone has it worse," Batman growled, "ourselves included."

Shayera and Clark and even Alfred chuckled at the Dark Knight's broody outlook on life.

"Thanks for reminding me of that, baby," Shayera said gratefully, though, her eyes twinkling.

And Clark almost didn't catch it, but he had to clamp his mouth shut to keep his jaw from falling to the floor, because Bruce gave Shayera the tiniest of winks.

"Oh, wow," Clark said softly when Shayera carried him into the guest room and laid him on the bed.

"This is opulent," he said, turning his head to admire the antique furniture and wall tapestries and what might in fact be original Matisse paintings.

"You've never stayed in this room before?" Shayera asked him innocently as Bruce laid Lois on the bed next to Clark.

Clark gave Bruce an amused glance.

"The only times I've been in the mansion have been as press to cover an event," he said. "I've never been upstairs before or in any of the cordoned off rooms at a party," he said. "And the times I've stayed over, I've been in the medbay."

"Because you were hurt," Bruce groused. "Not because I was being an asshole."

"To be fair, you were being that word, too," Clark said primly.

"Well, that's because _somebody_ refuses to acknowledge who the authority in Gotham is, sidekick," Shayera grinned at him.

"What?" Clark said to her, staring in befuddlement first at Shayera and then at a smirking Bruce.

"The Justice League doesn't exist in Gotham, Clark," Shayera said patronizingly. "I'm sure Batman was only being an asshole to try to help you learn your place."

Clark looked at them blankly for a moment.

"Wake Lois up," he said suddenly. "I don't quite know what's going on here, but I can tell I need her to defend me."

"That is my cue to leave," Alfred said, promptly turning to exit the room. "Please inform Ms. Lane when she finishes eviscerating Master Bruce that I shall have hot cinnamon rolls ready for her breakfast in the morning."

"Will do, Alfred," Clark laughed. "Thank you."

Alfred nodded and briskly made his escape before Bruce leaned over and sprayed Lois with the Batwake gas. She sputtered and coughed and looked up and around.

"Clark!" she said with relief as soon as she realized that he was at her side in bed. "Where are - _you!_" she said in a low, angry voice to Bruce upon seeing him.

"Now, Lois," Bruce said appeasingly, his eyes twinkling, "you already got an exclusive on the Watchtower," he said. "You can't have one in the same week on the BatCave, too."

"You knocked me out!" Lois yelled at him. "Without warning!" she said, glaring at him.

"I'll warn you next time," Bruce said placidly.

"Liar," Lois muttered under her breath.

"He knocked me out the first time he brought me to the BatCave, too," Shayera said comfortingly.

"But we're not even in the BatCave," Lois said, looking around. "Are we in your house, Bruce?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

When he nodded, she sniffed.

"Well, it's about damn time you invited us over," she said.

"Lois," Clark said, trying not to laugh.

"What?" Lois protested. "Even Lex fucking Luthor has had us over now," she said, and Clark couldn't help the laughter anymore.

"I don't do houseguests," Bruce said calmly.

"Except for a certain Thanagarian," Shayera said saucily, cuddling up to him.

"You're my fiancée," Bruce said. "You live here. Not a guest."

"You're engaged?" Lois gasped as Clark said, "Fiancée?"

Shayera turned to them and smiled and even Bruce's face seemed warmer and brighter.

"Shayera can't be associated with Bruce Wayne," he growled, though, "so don't go reporting on this."

"You'll get married on the Watchtower, I guess, then?" Clark surmised and Bruce nodded.

"Wow," Lois breathed. "I never thought I'd see the day," she said, shaking her head. "Does Diana know?" she asked slightly nervously.

Bruce groaned and Shayera sighed.

"Noo…" the Thanagarian said. "Don't tell her, ok? We'll tell her ourselves. Later. There was a lot going on this week."

"Tell her soon, please," Lois frowned.

"We will," Bruce promised.

He moved to switch on the solar lights for Clark.

"You have a sleep mask there, Lois," he said as he went around the room.

Lois turned and her expression got a little softer when she saw it laying on her pillow.

"Thank you, Bruce," she said a little more peaceably. "For all of this," she added. "But don't go knocking me out again," she frowned.

"No promises," Bruce winked and she huffed at him.

"Good night, Lois. Night Clark," Shayera said as she and Bruce moved to leave the room.

"Good night," they said back.

"We're going out on patrol," Bruce said, pausing with his hand on the doorknob, "and we sleep down in the BatCave now, but you can call my cellphone if you need anything from about four a.m. on," he said. "And Alfred sleeps one floor up, Lois, if you need anything before then while we're still out."

She nodded back at him.

"Alfred said he's making you fresh cinnamon rolls for breakfast," Clark added and Lois beamed.

"I love that man," she said passionately.

"You and me both, sister," Shayera laughed as Bruce shut the door behind them.

Lois turned in bed to look at Clark.

"They sleep in the _BatCave?_" she quietly screeched. "Oh, my God, did Diana ever dodge a bullet," she giggled.

Clark chuckled.

"I'm glad Bruce found his match," he said, though. "He's been through so much in his life."

"And what have you been through tonight?" Lois said, laying down next to Clark and gently rubbing her hands over him in worried caresses.

"Batman knocked me out before I could even kiss you," she pouted, putting her arms around Clark's head and kissing him enough to make up for it.

"I'm so glad he called you," Clark said fervently when Lois finally drew back.

"And that he invited you over and offered to let me stay here. I would have hated to be up on the Watchtower without you," he said tenderly and Lois sighed and rubbed her forehead against his cheek.

"I texted Perry that you got a bad stomach bug," she said. "And that I'd work from home to take care of you and keep the germs to ourselves."

"Thanks, honey," Clark said gratefully. "Will you help me get the suit off?" he asked her. "The solar rays will soak in better without it on."

"Of course," Lois said, sitting up to help. "And while I'm doing that, you tell me exactly what happened. Batman was very vague."

Clark smiled up at her as she gently peeled the suit off of his shoulders and worked it down his body.

"Lex saved my life tonight," he said.

Lois's eyes promptly popped out of her head.

"No," she breathed out. "Really?" she said. "You're sure?"

Clark chuckled.

"Not to scare you," he said more somberly, shifting his hips so Lois could continue stripping him, "but Atom was supposed to take Metallo out before he got to me but he got shot with a poison dart."

"Oh, no," Lois breathed, knowing that Metallo was the one villain who posed a deadly threat to Clark due to the robot's kryptonite heart and lasers.

"Yeah," Clark sighed. "We had a plan, but of course you can't predict exactly what's going to happen in a battle."

Lois made a concerned noise that sounded suspiciously like a frightened whimper.

"It's ok, sweetheart," Clark soothed her, reaching his arms out for her as soon as she had deposited his suit and boots on the floor. "I'm safe now."

"I know," Lois sniffed, crawling into his waiting arms, "but you almost weren't."

"Bizarro was fighting me," Clark said, stroking her back with his fingertips as he held her, "so I didn't see Metallo coming until Bizarro went down from the kryptonite. He was about to get a shot off but Lex shot him in the back."

Lois inhaled sharply.

"I still got hit in my leg," Clark said, "but that was way better than -"

"Your head," Lois filled in for him when he paused.

"Yes," Clark sighed. "Lex kept firing at Metallo until he went down, but he went down on top of me and he was too heavy for Lex to pull off."

"Oh, God," Lois said in horror.

"We were in a back room and the battle in the main area was too fierce for him to grab any other heroes to help without getting killed," Clark said, "so Lex pried Metallo's chest open with a knife and cut his heart out to get it away from me."

A tiny sob escaped from Lois's mouth.

"And then Lex came back and guarded me until the battle was over," Clark finished with a little smile.

Lois sniffed and wiped her eyes, which were leaking tears.

"He said to tell you to cross one of his assassination attempts off of your list," Clark smiled.

Lois laughed a little bit.

"My shit list?" she guessed through her sniffling.

"My Ma didn't raise me to talk like that," Clark teased. "But Lex's mother apparently had no such parenting philosophy."

"I love you so much," Lois said to him, pressing fierce kisses all over his jaw and mouth.

"I love you, too, sweetheart," Clark said tenderly. "More than anything."

Lois gave a happy sigh and smiled at him. She pushed herself up onto her knees and clambered off of the bed so she could pull her clothes off, folding them neatly and laying them on the upholstered Louis XIV chair which was sure to be original.

She opened her overnight bag and slipped on a short red silk nightgown before climbing under the covers next to the naked Clark, who was laying on top of them to soak up the light.

"I don't know if I forgive him yet," she mumbled in Clark's ear as she pressed up next to him as close as she could get.

Clark rolled onto his side and snugged his arms around her.

"That's ok," he murmured back. "He still has at least three more times to save my life before we're even," and Lois had to giggle in relief.

Down in the BatCave, Bruce and Shayera were suiting back up to go out on patrol.

"The battle went well today," Bruce said to her, pressing a kiss to her bare back as she changed.

"I hope John is all right," Shayera said with some concern and Batman grunted affirmatively in response.

"His stats are good," he said. "I wouldn't be surprised if he's awake before we're back up there tomorrow."

"It's a shame Sinestro escaped," Shayera sighed. "He is a pain in the ass if I ever met one."

Bats grunted again.

"I'm going to look into where Star Sapphire and Goldface were tonight," he said.

Shayera tipped her head to look at him.

"I wonder how many no-shows Lex typically has at an all-hands meeting," she said.

Batman gave her an assessing look of respect.

"We'll check," he said.

"I'll ask him tomorrow?" she asked Batman and he nodded.

"And I'll interrogate the prisoners," he said. "After we get back from visiting John. You can help," he said with a wicked smile.

"Mm, I don't know," Shayera said, giving him a sultry look. "I might just want to watch," she said, walking her fingers up Bruce's chest.

"Oh yeah?" he said to her with a smirk.

"Yeah," she murmured, leaning in to give him a sexy kiss.

"You know," she said, turning her mouth to his ear, "you let me stay over at the mansion even before we were dating, Mr. I Don't Have Houseguests."

"I did, didn't I?" Bruce said in a low husky voice. "I wonder why that was…?" he said, pressing a kiss to her neck.

"You're the detective," Shayera said, her hot breath warming Bruce's ear. "You tell me."

"After patrol," Bats growled, squeezing her hips and making her laugh, "I will."

"You'd better," said Shayera.

He did.


	30. Chapter 30

_**Chapter 30**_

"I'm getting married this week!" Diana thought as soon as her eyes opened on Monday morning.

The thought flooded her with a giddy excitement that propelled her out of bed and sent her scampering next door to Lex's bedroom. She barely remembered to knock and hardly waited for Lex's muffled 'come in' before she had flung the door open - not quite hard enough to knock it off its hinges, although it was close - and was barreling over the fluffy comforter on Lex's bed to snuggle up to the barely awake billionaire like an eager puppy.

"Diana!" Lex said in amused surprise, startled at the barely noticeable time lapse between the knocking and the door hinges rattling and a wriggling Diana throwing her arms around his still reposed body buried under layers of blankets.

"We're getting married this week!" Diana squealed into his face, bouncing so hard as she hugged him that she was making the bed shake in a somewhat alarming way.

Lex made himself a mental note to see about getting a reinforced bedframe and floor installed before Friday, grateful that his genius level brain could multitask because Diana was kissing him now with a barrage of fervent, affectionate kisses like he had whack-a-moles popping out of his mouth that she was trying to contain.

At least Diana was being a little more gentle with his lips than she had been with the poor moles on their amusement park date, but it had been more than worth paying the park for the irreparably damaged game to see Diana's childlike enthusiasm at beating the feisty critters to a pulp, determined as she was to not be bested by the mechanical beasts.

And Lex really had no complaints at all about the way she was kissing him. If she was this excited now… his morning wood got even harder thinking about their imminent wedding night, now only four days away since their impetuous decision to move up the ceremony. And subsequently, their intimacy.

"I love you so much," Diana panted when she finally took a breath.

"I love you, too," Lex said, feeling washed with a deeper sense of peace than he could ever before remember experiencing.

The Legion of Doom was ninety-nine percent behind bars, with only a few minor scallywags on the loose - nothing that the Justice League couldn't handle and no one capable of posing a lethal threat to Wonder Woman, especially when the League had her back.

Diana not only loved him, but she had agreed to marry him before the week was out and soon Lex would have her in his bed guilt free, a moral concept that had never before even occurred to him to consider but which now weighed heavily on his conscience - another construct to which he had thought himself invulnerable.

But if Lex was learning anything from being with Diana, it was how vulnerable loving her made him. A fact which should have terrified and repulsed him. And truthfully, it did scare him more than a little bit.

Yet instead of hardening his inner asshole and shoving Diana out of his life in order to keep himself safe and emotionally impenetrable, here he was taking baby steps forward, patiently figuring out how to navigate the new rocky waters of his heart with a rusty, once-broken moral compass that had suddenly found a north to pull towards in Diana.

And dear God, how he loved her.

"We have to go see my mother tonight," Diana said to him, snuggling herself up as close to him as she could get from on top of the blankets that he was under.

"Does she know yet that we're dating?" Lex asked her.

"We can't really talk long-distance," Diana said. "Amazons are a very low-tech people. Zeus had to send Hermes to me on the Watchtower with a hand-written message when they needed help with Hades. So, no," she sighed.

"It's going to be somewhat of a shock to her that I'm not only dating but getting married on Friday. I was planning to tell her about us tonight when we drop the nuclear codes off and I was assuming that she'd be willing to fly out to the jet with me to meet you."

"So it may be quite the first meeting, indeed," Lex said wryly.

"Yes," Diana groaned out slowly. "I'm sorry," she said regretfully.

"It's not your fault, baby," Lex said, pulling his arms out from the covers to stroke Diana's face.

"I'm the one who asked to move the wedding up to such a ridiculously short timeframe. She would have had plenty of time to get used to the idea if we weren't getting married until next year."

"But we're getting married on _Friday!_" Diana crowed, her eyes glowing with delight. "That's worth my mother being mad at me," she proclaimed.

Lex chuckled.

"So long as you protect me from her," he said.

"Always," Diana promised him, giving him more affectionate kisses.

"We have so much to do before Friday," she moaned a minute later. "I don't even know where to start."

"I do," Lex promised. "We are going to sit down with Tess first thing this morning and put this whole event into her astonishingly capable hands," he said. "All you'll have to do is tell her what you want and she'll organize the rest," he said.

"The only things you need to worry about are getting your friends to come and showing up to whatever dress fittings or cake tastings or flower pickings Tess tells you to be at," he said with a smile.

"Oh, that makes me feel so much better," Diana breathed out. "She'll have time to handle all that plus her normal work?" she asked him.

Lex nodded.

"I'm going to have her move all my meetings and put business on hold as much as possible for this week and next and bring an assistant up for her from a lower floor to handle the executive issues. More than one, if she needs them."

"Good," Diana said with relief. "Where should we hold the wedding?" she asked him.

"Well," Lex said thoughtfully, "how many people are you going to invite? The whole League?" he asked her.

Diana frowned, her bright spirits slightly dimming.

"I don't know how many of them would come," she said softly with her eyes downcast.

"Oh, Diana," Lex said sympathetically, pulling her into a hug. "I'm sorry," he said and she sighed a little bit.

"I'll invite the Founders, of course," she said. "But beyond that?" she said slowly.

Her fingers played with a wrinkle in Lex's mahogany colored duvet cover.

"Supergirl I think will come," she said. "Especially since Clark will be there. And I would normally have wanted to invite the Green Arrow and Black Canary, but those two, I don't think will want to attend. We were friendly before this; more so than I was with some of the other League members, but… " she trailed off.

Lex's eyes grew sad as he stroked back Diana's hair from her forehead.

"Invite them anyway," he said gently. "They can say no, but an invitation will show them that you still value their friendship."

"Ok," Diana murmured.

"I'm actually somewhat pleased at the thought of keeping the wedding small," Lex said tenderly with a hint of eager anticipation in his voice, "because I was thinking maybe you'd like to have it at the Feather and Quill club where we went after the dance."

"Yes!" Diana breathed out, her eyes starting to light up again. "Oh, that's a beautiful idea, Lex!" she said happily, wrapping her arm around his chest and crawling forward to lay her head on his shoulder.

"It's a special place for us," Lex agreed sweetly. "Although I was also considering Adventure Land if you wanted to invite the whole League," he said and Diana started laughing against him.

"We would have gotten some amazing photos there," she giggled. "Me in my wedding dress and you in your tux, zooming down a roller coaster with my veil flying out behind us."

Lex chuckled warmly and kissed her forehead.

"I love you so much, Diana Prince," he said and the look in his eyes backed his words up better than Diana's lasso of truth ever could have.

* * *

"Just a minute!" Lois called in response to the knock at the Wayne Manor guest bedroom door at ten a.m.

Clark was still sleeping, regenerating his strength under the lights of a half dozen solar lamps, and Lois had only gotten up a half hour ago; completely unusual behavior for her, since she normally thrived on as few hours of sleep as was humanly possible, but her stress and worry over Clark's near death the night before, plus the extra late hours before they had gotten him to bed in one of Bruce's guest rooms and Lois had ended up sleeping quite late for her.

She had only just emerged from the shower and gotten dressed, allowing herself the luxury of a slow and lazy start to her day, the remainder of which she was planning to spend on her laptop in bed next to Clark, working on her articles for _The Daily Planet_.

Clark, of course, was still stark naked as he soaked up his pseudo-sunrays, so Lois hurriedly threw a blanket over his lower half before moving to open the bedroom door.

"Oh! Alfred," Lois said upon seeing the butler standing outside her door carrying a silver tray laden with a large silver carafe which smelled like it was full of coffee, plus a full plate - of six! - huge, hot and doughy cinnamon rolls with thick vanilla icing literally dripping off of them.

Not to mention the flower vase with a pristine fresh lily in it. Which only happened to be Lois's favorite flower. A fact which she had no idea how Alfred had learned.

But Lois's reporter intuition suspected that the British butler was every bit as good a detective as Batman himself - and even sneakier than the Bat, when it came down to it, because Alfred didn't go around advertising the fact that finding out every single conceivable personal detail and preference of literally anyone on the planet was mere child's play to him.

Hell, he could probably dig up the dress sizes and favorite foods of more than a few off-world aliens, too, and cook the dishes to perfection.

One did not want to look the gift horse in the mouth that was Alfred Pennyworth.

"I have taken the liberty of preparing some breakfast for you, Miss Lois," Alfred said graciously, peering at her face quite intently for some strange reason as if searching for something.

"Thank you so much, Alfred!" Lois beamed. "Your cinnamon rolls are divine!"

Despite never being invited to Wayne Manor before, Lois had had the good fortune of sampling Alfred's baking during an interview that she had done with Bruce Wayne once at Wayne Enterprises for a piece on some of his philanthropic work.

An interview which had been graced with a welcome platter of cinnamon rolls. Which, while not at that time fresh out of the oven, were still so far superior to Cinnabon that there was really no fair comparison.

Alfred gave her a little smile and relaxed infinitesimally as he entered the bedroom with the tray, setting it on the marble credenza for her.

"You take your coffee black, I believe?" he asked her, pouring her a cup.

"Yes," Lois said, smiling to herself at his knowledge.

"I have provided cream and sugar for Master Clark, of course," Alfred said, "should he awake and desire a cup."

"That's very thoughtful of you, Alfred," Lois said, taking the steaming cup of coffee that he was offering her and inhaling the aroma with delight before taking a sip.

"Is this Arbuckles' Ariosa coffee?" Lois said, her eyes going wide, because she knew Alfred was good, but damn. This was next level. He'd barely had any warning that she would be an unexpected houseguest and this was a historical cowboy variety of coffee that Lois had been introduced to while covering a past story in Arizona .

"Indeed it is, Miss Lois," the butler said, the corner of his lip quirking with a hint of pride.

"Do you routinely keep this in the house?" Lois asked him suspiciously. "On the off chance that one day I might happen to come over?"

"Tt," said Alfred. "A butler never reveals his secrets, miss."

Lois wondered to herself just how many varieties of coffee Alfred might keep stashed away in a secret pantry that was no doubt hidden from guests just as carefully as the Batcave, which she had utterly failed to see, much to her great disappointment.

But here was Bruce, coming up behind Alfred hand in hand with Shayera - well that was strange to see, but awfully sweet - and now Lois had someone to bitch at who didn't bake her delicious treats and squirrel away rainy day emergency supplies of her favorite coffee in the universe.

"You're not getting any of my cinnamon rolls," Lois frowned at Batman and Hawk - no, the Gotham Gargoyle, was her new name.

"You knocked me out," Lois complained to Bruce. Again.

"I did," he said calmly.

"No cinnamon rolls for you," Lois retorted.

"I prefer Alfred's biscuits," Shayera smiled at Lois while Bruce just smirked.

"Which shall be ready in ten minutes time, Miss Shayera," Alfred beamed at her, patting her on the shoulder as he left the bedroom.

"I wouldn't dream of eating your cinnamon rolls," Bruce said to Lois with laughter in his eyes once the butler was gone. "Alfred would starve me for a year if I stole food from you."

"All right, then," Lois said with satisfaction, moving to pull one of the rolls off of the platter and taking a decadent bite before setting it down on the tinier china plate that Alfred had provided for her.

"What's up?" she asked the two superheroes, licking her fingers as she moved back to sit cross-legged on the bed next to the heavily slumbering Clark.

"We wanted to check on Superman before we went up to the Watchtower," Shayera said. "He's sleeping through all of us chattering?" she said in surprise. "With his super hearing?"

"His hearing's not so good after such a bad dose of kryptonite," Lois sighed. "Hopefully by tonight he'll be almost back to normal, though," she said, looking over at her exhausted man with a softer look than Bruce was used to seeing on her face.

"He should be fully recovered by tomorrow morning, I think," Bruce said comfortingly. "He's taken more shots at once from Metallo in past battles than he did last night," he said, frowning, "but never one at such close range."

Lois pursed her lips.

"He said Lex saved him," she said.

Bruce hesitated.

"I think," he said, glancing at Shayera before continuing. "I think Clark is very lucky that Lex did what he did."

Lois looked down at her hands.

"You were supposed to have a plan, Bruce," she said quietly.

"I know," he said gently, dropping down to sit in the armchair next to her bed.

"I did. We did," he said.

"The best tactical plans in the world can get upended in the heat of battle," Shayera said as she moved to sit on the bed at Lois's feet. "That's why strong teamwork is so vital. A soldier's life is only as safe as their fellow soldiers make it. And everyone has to be willing to do what's needed when it's needed, no matter the plan or the cost."

"And Clark's life _was_ safe," Bruce pointed out.

"Because," he said, slowly rubbing his hand over his jaw, "as obnoxious and odd a concept as it is for all of us," he sighed, "Lex is apparently on our team, now. At least, he was last night," he amended with a slight grin, which Shayera returned, because of course her Bat wasn't about to start handing out carte blanche trust.

Hell, except for her, he didn't even fully trust the other members of the Justice League. He was Batman.

Lois sighed long and hard.

"I would have been quite content to hate that man for the rest of my life, you know," she muttered.

"Believe me, I know," Bruce said dryly.

"I'm not saying I don't still hate him," Lois quickly added.

"Of course not," Shayera said with a soft smile.

"Still," Lois sighed, looking over at her sleeping Clark and gently brushing the hair off of his forehead.

"Clark's alive," Bruce said for her and Lois nodded, tightening her jaw and refusing to let the tears start.

"At least you can drown your conflicting feelings in Alfred's cinnamon rolls," Shayera said comfortingly, reaching out to squeeze Lois's hand.

Lois gave her a little smile.

"At least there's that," she said.

* * *

Thanks for reading! Updates are posted weekly.


	31. Chapter 31

_**Chapter 31**_

"Oh! Mr. Luthor _and _Diana!" Tess said with pleasure as the couple walked into Lex's outer office promptly at nine a.m., having taken the private elevator down from their penthouse to Lex's inner office suite.

"Good morning, Tess," Lex said cheerfully to his secretary extraordinaire, with his arm slung around Diana's waist.

"Good morning," Diana echoed, smiling warmly at Eve Teschmacher, who had no idea that she was about to become their wedding planner.

"It's so nice to see you, Diana!" Tess was beaming. "It seems like most mornings you fly right off to work from the penthouse balcony," she giggled.

Diana, smiling even deeper, glanced at Lex.

"Well, it just so happens that we both needed to talk to you this morning," Diana said slowly with a growing sparkle in her eyes.

"In that case, I am all ears," Tess said eagerly, grabbing a pen and pad from her desk. "In your private office, Mr. Luthor?" she asked her boss expectantly.

"Yes, please," Lex said, smiling graciously as he held the door open for the ladies to precede him into the suite.

"Would you like a hot chocolate, Tess?" Lex asked her as the trio walked over to the windowed corner seating area with the stunning view of Metropolis down below.

"Well, I shouldn't," Tess murmured, slimming her hands over her hips to measure their width before sitting down. "But, I suppose one cup wouldn't hurt," she said with a resigned smile as she sat catty-corner to Diana on the smaller black leather loveseat, leaving the seat next to Diana on the couch for Lex.

"I usually only drink black coffee," Tess confided to Diana as Lex walked over to the Keurig machine to make his secretary's drink, "but Axel let it slip to Lex one day how much I like hot chocolate as a special treat on holidays - you can buy sugar free powder, you know?"

Diana did not know, but she nodded politely.

"And ever since then," Tess sighed, "Lex keeps it stocked in here - the real kind, full sugar!" Tess moaned. "And he's always trying to pour it down my throat."

"He's such a villain," Diana said with twinkling eyes, which caught Lex's and prompted a coughing fit of laughter from her fiancé, masked by the whirring and grinding of the Keurig which was busily preparing Tess's temptation.

"Tess deserves the best," Lex said with a smile, rejoining the group and handing Tess her drink in a beautiful detailed china tea cup which appeared to be hand-painted, trimmed with real gold leaf and, knowing Lex, was probably two hundred years old and worth a fortune.

"Axel agrees with me," Lex added with a smirk, referencing his secretary's husband. "Why do you think he told me about the hot chocolate?" he asked her with a playful smile.

"Oh, you men," Tess fussed, but Diana could see that she looked pleased at their caring attention, despite her bluster. And that she had not, in fact, said no to the hot chocolate and was dreamily inhaling its aroma.

"Now!" Tess said briskly after taking her first sip and carefully setting the delicate cup down.

She picked up her pen and pad to get down to business.

"What problem can Eve Teschmacher solve for you today?" she beamed at the couple.

"Diana and I have decided to get married on Friday," Lex announced, with unmasked pride and happiness shining through his voice as the hand that he had slipped around Diana's waist tightened imperceptibly.

"Oh, my gracious!" Tess exclaimed, dropping her pen in her shock. "Friday?" she said. "This Friday?" she clarified, looking at the two of them in a daze.

"Yes," Diana smiled. "We know it's short notice, but, well, we don't want to wait."

"It's sort of an elopement," Lex said cautiously, "so we don't want to share it with the press -"

"- of course not," Tess murmured, nodding vigorously,

"- but we want our closest friends to attend so we do want to put together a reception, and get Diana a dress, of course, and flowers, and all that," Lex said. "Which is where you come in, dear Tess."

He smiled at his secretary with both affection and a calm confidence in her competence, which seemed to bolster Ms. Teschmacher's spirits, because the woman sat up straighter, picked up her pen, let out a deep breath, and gave a sharp nod.

"Of course, sir," she said briskly. "I shall handle everything," she promised.

"I want you to clear my schedule for this week and next," Lex said, "as the first order of business, and poach however many assistants you want from other floors to help you."

"Yes, sir," Tess nodded, scribbling more notes than words that Lex had uttered, Diana was amused to notice.

"We'll go over our ideas for the wedding with you now," Lex said, "so you have a starting point, and then we'll both be available to you for fittings and tastings and whatever else you might need for the rest of the week."

"So exciting!" Tess murmured distractedly. "You must be absolutely thrilled," she said to Diana, raising her eyes to meet the Amazon's.

"I am," Diana affirmed, looking up to Lex, who leaned his head in to kiss her right in front of Tess, making the secretary laugh with delight.

"Oh, you are just as in love as me and Axel were right before our wedding," she said fondly. "Do you remember, sir?" she asked Lex. "He was always popping up here for no reason at all except to kiss me," Tess sighed happily.

"And to whisper secrets in my ear about hot chocolate," Lex added with a laugh.

"That, too," Tess giggled.

"Do you have a wedding album?" Diana suddenly asked her, on an inspiration. "I'd love to look at it with you tomorrow. Maybe I could get some ideas from it," she said, but she also thought that it would be a fantastic way to bond with the single most important person in Lex's life, aside from herself.

"Oh, I'd love that!" Tess said happily. "Yes, I'll bring it to work tomorrow," she said, scratching more notes on her pad. "Of course, we have the photos online, too, but that's just not the same, is it, as a book you can flip through together."

"It's not," Diana agreed.

"I wonder, actually," Diana said slowly as an idea came to her, "if Clark's friend Jimmy might possibly be willing to take our wedding photos for us if he's available," she said to Lex. "Clark probably wouldn't mind asking him to do it for me as a special favor."

"I mean we'd pay him, of course," she said, "but Jimmy's really not a society photographer," she smiled.

"Jimmy Olsen?" Lex said with interest and a raised eyebrow.

Diana nodded. Lex let out a low whistle, impressed. Lois wasn't the only Pulitzer Prize winner in Clark's inner circle; Jimmy, too, had won the coveted prize for his photojournalism.

"Tell Clark I'll pay Jimmy whatever he wants," Lex said to Diana, "and then cut the check for three times what he asks for," he said to Tess, who literally cooed over him as she smiled and made her note.

"You know, you are marrying the kindest man in the world, except for my Axel," Tess said warmly.

"I believe it," Diana said, meeting Lex's eyes which were trying to scoff away Tess's compliment.

"I'm glad someone else points out this fact to you," Diana said, wrapping her arms around Lex's chest and snuggling her head onto his shoulder.

"I keep trying to tell him," she laughed over to Tess, "but he refuses to believe me."

Tess tsk'd.

"Mr. Luthor is just too modest for his own good," she said with not a hint of sarcasm or irony, causing Lex to burst out in a deep belly laugh.

"Tess, Tess, Tess," Lex said delightedly. "This is why I pay you the big bucks," he said, still laughing.

Diana smiled but Tess just shook her head over her kind, noble, and modest boss, refusing, as always, to be dissuaded from her opinion by his teasing. It was a rare human being who was as good a man as her Mr. Luthor, and no one, not even the man himself, could tell Tess differently.

Bruce and Shayera were just finishing their late breakfast when Bruce's phone rang. He showed the caller ID to Shayera as he picked it up.

"Diana," he said for a greeting. "What can I do for you?"

He grunted in typical Batman fashion as he listened to the Amazon for a minute, then sighed.

Finally, with a slight groan, he said, "Meet me behind the bowling alley on 37th Street," and promptly hung up.

"She wants to come check on Clark," Bruce groused to Shayera. "I have to go pick her up."

"Because she's not allowed to know where the Batcave entrance is?" Shayera said in delight.

"You and Clark are the only ones who know," Bruce grumbled. "And Clark is one too many, in my opinion."

Shayera laughed, but she leaned over to wrap her arms around Bruce's head and kiss him warmly, because none of his grump was towards her, and that meant a lot.

What meant even more was the tender way Bruce looked in her eyes and softly said, "I love you," before getting up to go change into Batman.

"I love you, too, Grumpy Bat," Shayera told him, earning herself an affectionate squeeze on the back of her neck and a kiss to the top of her head as Bruce left the kitchen.

Alfred glanced over at her as Shayera sighed happily into her coffee, unable to hide her slightly goofy, lovestruck smile from the butler's eyes.

"He needed you, miss," Alfred said contentedly. "It does my heart good to know that he is no longer alone."

"I needed him, too," Shayera said honestly, looking up to meet Alfred's eyes with her frank gaze.

"Especially after…" she trailed off, rubbing a finger along the edge of her coffee mug, not knowing how to put all of her grief and guilt and heartache from the last several years into words.

"Indeed," Alfred said quietly. "It can be difficult to live with the actions that one performs in service of Queen and Country," he said gravely, his eyes going distant for a moment.

Shayera was giving him a strange look when he came back to himself with a slight start.

"Ah, well," Alfred said, dismissing his mood and rising to attend to important butlerly business of some sort.

"You must not be too hard on yourself, my dear," he said, patting Shayera's shoulder as he passed by. "You were a loyal soldier," he said. "And a good person. Those two ingredients do not make for a peaceful post-war experience."

"I suppose not," Shayera said slowly, watching the butler's back as he left the room and wondering.

The Thanagarian was waiting in the Batcave by the time Batman returned from downtown Gotham with a Batgassed Wonder Woman in the passenger seat of the Batmobile.

"What in Hades?" Diana burst out as the Batwake spray hit her face and she awoke with a slight start.

She frowned, slowly getting her bearings, before glaring at the Bat in the seat next to her, who had an almost mischievous look on his face, if truth be told.

"Good morning, sunshine," he quipped, moving to exit the car.

A very bat-like growl escaped Diana's throat as she opened her door and groggily stood up.

"That was not appreciated," she snapped at Batman, who had immediately gone to kiss Shayera upon emerging from the Batmobile.

A fact which didn't make Diana choke up a little bit. Not at all.

And neither did the soft, happy look in Shayera's eyes as she and her Bat locked eyes for a moment afterwards.

Batman shrugged, turning back to face the angry Wonder Woman.

"Visitors are not appreciated," he returned to her, although he said it with more playfulness than snark, which softened the edge. It was Diana, after all.

She huffed.

"At least you get to see the Batcave," Shayera said cheerfully. "Lois didn't get the Batwake spray until she was upstairs in the Manor."

"Gee, thanks," Diana said sarcastically, although it was directed at Bruce, not Shayera. "I'm honored," she grumbled.

"I think the Batwake spray has some side effects on Amazons," Shayera whispered in Batman's ear. "She sounds almost as snarky as you."

Batman snorted and didn't even bother to try to hide his snicker from Wonder Woman, who pierced him with angry eyes and hands on her hips.

"Can we just go see Clark?" she demanded.

"Come on," Bruce said with amusement, leading the way to the elevator hand in hand with Shayera.

"Come in," Lois called to the knock on the bedroom door.

"Oh! Diana," she said with pleasure, getting up from the bed to go hug her friend.

An action which Lois wasn't adverse to in small groups of people she trusted, that was true, but the strength with which she gripped Diana and the way she shook as her friend held her tight told Diana exactly how badly Lois had been frightened by Clark's brush with death the night before.

"He's ok," Diana murmured comfortingly in Lois's hair, her grumpiness and snark forgotten in the face of her friend's need.

"I know," Lois sniffed, but she held onto Diana a few minutes longer as the Amazon slowly rubbed her back in soothing circles.

Lois took a deep breath and let out a long sigh as she finally eased up on the hug and stepped back from Diana.

"He's still sleeping," Lois said, going back to sit on the bed and moving her laptop over so Diana could sit at her feet.

Batman took the armchair by the bed and Shayera curled up in his lap. Which was only partly because it was the remaining free chair in the room, based on the tenderly familiar way that her arm went around Bruce's neck while he automatically cuddled her waist as she leaned into him.

Lois was stroking a gentle hand through Clark's hair with a sweetness that sharply contrasted with the feisty reporter's normal abrupt disposition.

"If he's not awake by tonight, let's try to rouse him," Batman said, "so he can tell us himself how he's doing. But until then, sleep is probably the best thing for him so his body can concentrate all its resources on absorbing the solar energy."

Lois nodded, looking back over at her trio of friends. Even though Shayera was more of a friend by extension at this point.

But Bruce and Diana both counted her as one of their closest friends and Lois had a feeling that she and the Thanagarian would indeed become true friends fast enough once they had some time to get to know each other better. The sharp tongued warrior already amused and delighted Lois, who could recognize a kindred spirit when she saw one.

"Lex was wondering if he could call later this afternoon to check on Clark while we're up on the Watchtower," Diana said, looking hesitantly at Lois.

Lois chewed her lip.

"I mean, Clark probably won't be awake," she mumbled, hedging.

Diana's eyes twinkled the slightest bit.

"He actually asked if he could have your number," she said. "But I told him I'd have to ask you first," the Amazon added quickly when Lois's nostrils flared. "I didn't give it to him yet."

"He probably already knows it," Batman said dryly, making Shayera cough with laughter, "and was just asking to keep up appearances."

Diana gave him a sharp frown.

"There's nothing wrong with manners," she said. "Or respecting boundaries."

"Of course not," Bruce murmured, chuckling under his breath.

"Better that than the alternative," Shayera agreed, her eyes laughing down into the Bat's.

Diana huffed and Lois let out an irritated sigh.

"Fine, fine," she said with annoyance. "Let him call me," she muttered.

Diana beamed.

"Thank you, Lois," she said. "He'll really appreciate it. He was worried about Clark and about how you're doing, too."

"I do not like this alternate reality I suddenly find myself living in," Lois complained to Batman, turning her head to meet his very amused eyes.

"I can imagine," the Bat sympathized. "But Clark's alive and well because of it," he said, "with almost everyone who wants him dead now imprisoned in Blackgate."

"Or marrying Diana," Shayera added cheekily, making Lois laugh out loud as Diana put her hands on her hips in mock offense.

"Speaking of which," Diana said, though, her cheeks turning pink. "Um," she hesitated in an uncomposed manner most unlike the Amazonian princess's normally poised presentation.

"Lex and I decided last night to move up the wedding date," she said slowly.

Lois raised an eyebrow. Batman probably was, too, but it was impossible to see it underneath his cowl. Shayera looked interested.

"To when?" the Thanagarian asked her friend.

"To Friday," Diana said, nervously looking to Lois first for her reaction.

"_This _Friday?" Lois said after a beat of silence.

Diana nodded.

"Holy shit," the reporter exploded. "Why - are you sure - what if - _why?_" Lois spluttered out.

Diana shrugged.

"We want to," she said, having no intention of discussing her sex life with anyone other than Lex. "I think the raid on the Legion of Doom was what was really holding Lex back from feeling secure in our relationship, and now that that's out of the way, we don't see a reason to wait."

Batman had cocked his head to the side and was looking at her strangely.

"It probably helps that Lex saved Clark's life last night," he said.

"What do you mean?" Diana said, raising her own eyebrow now as Shayera's eyes snapped thoughtfully down to regard Batman's curious expression.

"Well," Bruce said, "Lois and Clark are your two best friends. I'm sure it's a relief to Lex to have been able to demonstrate his level of moral reformation to them by saving Superman's life last night."

"I suppose," Diana said, wrinkling her brow. "I don't think he was really thinking about that," she said doubtfully.

"Maybe not," Bruce said lightly.

"Diana, are you _really _sure?" Lois asked her, reaching out to squeeze her friends' hands in hers. A most unusual level of physical contact for Lois Lane, which gave away her deep concern.

"I'm sure," Diana smiled back at her. "Positive," she said; and, indeed, happiness was practically pouring out of her pores, giving her a bridal glow.

"Well, shit," Shayera said. "You don't have much time to plan a wedding. Are we invited? Or are you eloping?"

"Oh, you're all invited, of course!" Diana said. "We're going to have it at the Feather and Quill Club," she said, looking to Bruce, who grunted in acknowledgment, because of course the billionaire was a member.

"It's going to be small, though," she said. "A few of Lex's closest friends -"

"- does he have any?" Batman mumbled.

"- yes, he has them!" Diana snapped, not missing his aside, although she was too bubbly and joyful to be anything more than mildly irritated with the Bat, and it showed in her voice.

"I'm going to invite all the Founders and Ollie and Dinah and Kara," Diana finished. "Although, I don't think Ollie and Dinah will come," she added softly.

The Bat's grunt was slightly more sympathetic this time.

"I could talk to Oliver," he offered with a reluctant sigh, which made Shayera press a kiss to the side of his cheek as Diana and Lois regarded him with looks of surprised pleasure.

"Careful, Grumpy," Shayera murmured. "They're gonna start thinking you're kind of a nice guy."

"I'm pretty sure I can remedy that situation, should it arise, with very little trouble at all," Bruce smirked up at her, the corners of his mouth crinkling with humor as Lois snorted with amused laughter.

"Thank you, Bruce," Diana said to him gratefully, directing the conversation back to his truly kind offer, "but, no. I'd rather you didn't. I don't want people at my wedding who don't want to be there," she said sadly.

"I understand," Bruce answered her gravely, his eyes flickering with pity, though.

"Lex's secretary Tess is handling the preparations for us," Diana said, to address more of Shayera's concerns over the short timeframe. "And it helps that Lex is rich, of course," she said, blushing a little as she looked down at her hands.

Lois snorted again.

"You get what you're willing to pay for," she said and Diana sighed in resignation to her new one-percenter status.

"Exactly," the princess said with a rueful smile. "The only thing I need from you all is a promise to show up."

"We will," Bruce said and Lois nodded but Shayera held a hand up.

"That is _not _all you need from us!" she said with excitement. "You need a final conquest!"

"What?" Diana said, her jaw dropping. "Why on earth would I go have sex with someone else?" she asked Shayera in horror.

"Sex?" Shayera said in confusion. "Who said anything about sex?"

"You did," Lois said dryly. "A conquest often means a love conquest. In Earth terms."

"Oh," Shayera frowned. "Damn translation errors," she grumbled. " A final… rampage?" she asked more hesitantly, looking first to Bruce, then to Lois for confirmation that she got it right this time.

"A wild, murderous, violent and unprovoked campaign of destruction fueled by blood-lust?" Lois said, this time the one whose voice betrayed horror.

Batman began laughing.

Hard.

"... yes?" Shayera whispered in a tiny voice as Batman's shoulders shook.

Lois's eyes looked like they were about to pop out of her head.

"What the fuck do you all _do _on Thanagar?" she said.

"It's a tradition," Shayera shrugged. "Your best sisters-in-arms take you out for one final female-only fury fueled raid -"

"- they call it a bachelorette party here, babe," Bruce managed to get out around his laughter.

"Oh," Diana said with interest, suddenly understanding and getting excited. "I've heard of those!" she said at the same time as Lois groaned, "Oh, _God._"

"Hey, Lane," Shayera said in a no-nonsense tone. "It's your duty. As Wonder Woman's best friend. Do not fail me in this obligation," the Thanagarian warrior said severely, drawing her brows. "I'll help, but I'm going to need your Earthling expertise to make sure I don't fuck it up."

"No murders," Lois said immediately and firmly.

"We only killed villains," Shayera said in an aggrieved tone. "You make it sound like we were murdering innocents, Lois. Geez. We're not monsters."

"Debatable," Lois grumbled.

"Hey!" Batman said sharply, meaning it this time as he gave Lois an angry look.

"Sorry," the reporter mumbled, glancing up at Shayera before glancing away again.

Shayera's lips pressed into a thin line but she didn't say anything.

"It would mean a lot to me if you both worked together on the bachelorette party," Diana said gently, her eyes pleading with Shayera before looking at Lois to prod at her conscience.

"Fine," Lois said shortly.

"Look," the reporter said after a minute of tense silence, finally looking up at Shayera.

"I get that you personally aren't a monster. But it's hard not to think that about your people when they went blithely around the galaxy wiping out planet after planet so they could - what was it again? Avoid being wiped out themselves?"

"I know," Shayera mumbled, sighing. "I don't disagree with you about that," she said softly.

Batman hugged her a little tighter.

"It's just," Shayera said, raising her head to look Lois in the eyes. "We weren't always monsters. And our way of life before the war and apart from the war wasn't monstrous. We're warriors," she said. "We do things differently than you weak-ass, artsy Earthlings."

"Yourself excepted, Batman," she added, pressing a kiss to his shoulder.

"Naturally," he smirked up at her with perfect confidence.

Lois sighed and Diana giggled.

"Ok," Lois said without heat. "So can we plan this party together?"

"Yes," said Shayera.

"Can Kara come?" Diana asked them. "And Tess, Lex's secretary? And maybe Carlos's wife? I haven't met her yet, though," Diana said. "I don't know what the proper protocol is for issuing invitations."

Lois thought for a minute.

"Bachelorette party is usually just the bride's friends," she said. "They tend to be kind of wild and someone who's outside the social group wouldn't likely have a good time," she said. "Not that some of us _inside _the social group will be enjoying ourselves, either," she snarked at Shayera, who grinned.

"We'll get even you to have fun, Lois," she promised.

"Ha!" Lois said. "Doubtful. Extremely doubtful," she said. "But I'll come. And help you plan it. And keep you from killing anyone," she said, and the wink that she gave Shayera had a hint of friendliness about it which did a lot to ease Diana and Bruce's worry.

"Oh," Batman said, remembering suddenly. "Shayera and I have some news, too," he said, glancing up at his fiancée, who nodded at him.

"What's that?" Diana asked curiously, noting Lois's non-reaction to the announcement.

"We're engaged," Bruce said simply, meeting Diana's eyes straight on.

"Oh!" she said, startled.

Startled turned to shocked, as the statement sunk in.

Diana's eyes went to Shayera's, which were regarding her warily, then to Batman's, which seemed more closed off, but watchful for her reaction.

Diana swallowed.

"Congratulations," the Amazon princess said dutifully, forcing a smile.

"Wow," she continued, looking at Lois, whose eyes were definitely sympathetic and concerned for her.

"Three engagements in the League at once," Diana said lightly. "Who would've thought?"

"You started it," Lois said playfully, poking Diana to break the tension.

"You continued it," Shayera added, smirking at Lois before smiling up at her Bat, who was smiling tenderly down at her now.

"Maybe Wally will be next," Diana said bravely, attempting to join in on the humor and show her friends that she was ok.

Or, at the very least, going to act ok, even if her insides didn't agree.

"My money's on J'onn," Batman growled and then they were all laughing and pretending that everything was fine.

And maybe it was kind of fine. Because they weren't fighting, and they were all happy, and if a few of them were sad at the same time, too, well, life could be complicated and messy like that.

It was when they were in the air flying towards the javelin launchpad, with Diana a little ways ahead of them and out of hearing distance, that Batman looked up at Shayera from his contentedly relaxed position dangling in her arms and said, "I have some concerns about the timing of Diana's wedding."

"I thought you did," Shayera said, looking back down at him somberly.

"You think Lex saving Clark was a set-up?" she asked him with worry.

Batman grunted.

"I don't know," he said. "But we have to consider it a possibility."

Shayera hummed in agreement.

"I hope it was genuine," she said. "I'd hate to see Diana get hurt."

"Or the League get decimated when Lex manages to manipulate his way past her defenses," Batman said more sourly.

"Baby, as long as Batman is on the case, I'm not too worried," Shayera said, pressing a kiss to his cheek and prompting a somewhat self-satisfied smile to appear on the Bat's face.

"Well, I am the World's Greatest Detective," he said with playful amusement. "But every detective needs a good Watson by their side."

"I have no idea what that means," Shayera said, "but it sounds like you're flirting with me."

"I am," Bruce confirmed.

"Well, ok, then," Shayera said, kissing him again on the cheek, then more as he turned his face to kiss her fully on the lips. "I'll be your Watsever."

"You already are," said Bruce, and it was only because Shayera wasn't used to having someone flying in front of her on their way to the javelin site that she almost bumped into Diana as she made out with Batman in the air.

* * *

_A/N Thanks for reading! Updates are posted weekly._


	32. Chapter 32

_**Chapter 32**_

The javelin was pulling into the Watchtower landing bay to dock when Shayera turned to Wonder Woman.

"Bats and I want to tell John privately that we're engaged," she said, looking more than a little guilty as she brought up a reminder of her and Bruce's previous spectacular failure at informing their exes that they had started dating.

"Would you not say anything about it to anyone until we've had a chance…?"

"Of course," Diana said promptly.

"Thanks," Shayera said gratefully and Batman grunted out his assent.

The trio disembarked from the shuttle and began heading to the medbay to check on the Green Lantern, who had still been unconscious when they had each departed for their respective homes the previous night.

"Oh, Batman. Shayera. Diana," J'onn said as they rounded a corner and came upon the Martian Manhunter in the hallway.

"John is in his quarters," J'onn said. "He came to in the middle of the night."

Diana's posture became more relaxed as she smiled to hear the news.

"Oh, good," Shayera breathed out with relief at the same time, squeezing the Bat's hand in hers.

"Did he give you any information as to what happened?" the detective asked J'onn.

J'onn stroked his chin and gave Batman an assessing look.

"Perhaps we should talk privately," he said. "No offense intended towards you, Diana," J'onn said regretfully, "but… I believe it would be best to keep certain details from you so that your integrity is not called into question."

"I understand," Diana said immediately. "I'll go on ahead to visit John."

"Thank you," J'onn said, giving her a warm smile. "Whatever information Vixen is already privy to is fine for you to know as well," he added and Diana nodded her understanding.

"You coming?" she asked Shayera, but the Thanagarian hesitated, looking at Batman.

"I'm not going to keep anything from Shy," Batman said point blank to J'onn. "So she might as well stay."

"Very well," J'onn said, raising an eyebrow slightly in surprise.

He would have liked to catch Diana's eye in amusement, because when had Batman ever trusted anyone? But the Martian knew that Diana, unfortunately, would most likely not find the Bat's newfound closeness with Shayera humorous, but painful.

"We'll join you shortly," Batman said to Diana, who nodded and continued down the hallway alone.

"Let's step inside a conference room," J'onn said, leading the way.

"What has you so disturbed?" Shayera asked him with concern once they were safe from listening ears and unwanted interruptions, because J'onn's face was looking exceptionally grave.

"John had no recollection of the events leading to the state that Wally found him in last night," J'onn said, remaining standing as Shayera fluttered up to sit on edge of the sleek white table, while Batman allowed himself to lean back against it next to her.

Which enabled Shayera to drape an arm around his shoulders, J'onn noted with a smile. It was good to see Bruce loosening up a little bit, he thought. And opening up. Clark had often bemoaned his best friend's stubborn insistence on solitude and a general mistrust of the world.

To see Batman _leaning _against something? Instead of standing ramrod straight and imposing? And to see him so comfortable with being touched? It reminded J'onn of how a certain stiff and formal Martian had once, long ago, let love transform him into something less repressed. Less aloof.

Less alone.

Not that J'onn had the time or even the desire to be remembering such things. Especially not when there was a mystery afoot.

"When I entered John's mind," J'onn continued, disciplining his thoughts back to the puzzle of the Green Lantern's battle with Sinestro, "I was able to slip into the repressed memory of the events leading to his unconsciousness."

"It appeared that Sinestro downed a tree in front of the Green Lantern," J'onn said slowly, "causing him to recoil into Sinestro's energy bonds, at which point Sinestro administered a dose of sodium pentothal into John's neck, presumably aiming for the artery to strike a lethal blow."

Batman tilted his head to the side in surprise as Shayera gasped quietly in horror.

"That's not Sinestro's M.O.," the Bat frowned.

"Indeed," J'onn said significantly. "There is something else…" he said. "For a brief moment when I was inside John's mind I felt… _something_."

"What?" Shayera asked him, feeling a knot form in her stomach at the implications of that statement.

J'onn shook his head.

"I am not certain," he said. "A whisper. Or an echo, perhaps."

"Of another presence?" Batman said, frowning hard.

"Perhaps," J'onn said cautiously. "But there was no evidence of the mental trauma that a forced invasion of the mind normally produces. However…"

The Martian paused.

"The speed at which the oddity retreated as soon as I noticed it was what drew my attention in the first place."

"Like a roach scrabbling for the shadows as soon as the light comes on," Batman murmured.

"What's a roach?" Shayera asked him.

The corner of Bruce's mouth quirked up.

"An insect that would never dare show its antennae in Alfred's home; day _or _night," he chuckled, making Shayera and J'onn smile, too.

"But more to the point," Batman said, "an intelligent being with enough sense to run when it's been discovered."

"Precisely my concern," J'onn intoned with worry. "I have not alerted anyone else to my observations or suspicions," he said. "Not even John. He was aware of his memory of the battle with Sinestro, once I was able to access it, but that was all."

"Could the memory have been faked?" Shayera wondered, furrowing her brows in thought.

"Possibly," J'onn said. "By a powerful enough telepath, it would be conceivable. However," he said, "no telepaths belong to the Legion of Doom."

Batman let out a dry chuckle.

"Leave it to Lex to keep himself free from mind control," he smirked.

"He told us he originally wanted Grodd to join him, though," Shayera pointed out. "But he wouldn't."

"That is true," J'onn said, "although I suspect we can attribute that to the Earth phrase, 'keep your friends close and your enemies closer,'" he smiled.

"However, Grodd is in prison at the moment," J'onn said. "Dr. Psycho is at large, but we swept the perimeter thoroughly before commencing our assault and found no one."

"Besides, that doesn't add up," Batman said thoughtfully. "Say Psycho _had_ been there, skulking around undetected on the outskirts of the swamp. Sinestro breaking free and making it outside of the headquarters was random luck. He couldn't have known that he'd have a chance to lure John away from the main battle."

"And Sinestro is more than strong enough to handle John on his own," Shayera added, frowning. "Not to mention arrogant as fuck," she quipped. "He wouldn't welcome Psycho or anyone else's interference during a fight, and especially not when he was going up against a member of the Lantern Corps."

"Not to mention that John's internal mental defenses were quite strong when I entered his mind," J'onn said. "A side effect of his years of military service, I have no doubt. Had a telepath forced their way in against his will, there would have been obvious scars. And there were not."

"So, what's the plan?" Shayera said, looking to Batman, who thought for a minute.

"Let's go back to the swamp this afternoon with the Flash," he said. "Have him show us the place where he found GL. Look for clues."

"Such as a downed tree?" Shayera said, a slow smile spreading across her face as Bruce nodded.

"It would be helpful if I shared John's memory of the events with one of you telepathically so you can compare the evidence," J'onn said, hesitating as he looked between the two Founders.

Because while Batman would undoubtedly prefer to see the memory for himself, J'onn knew very well that the Bat was not about to let anyone into his mind. Indeed, Shayera was already speaking.

"You can share it with me," she said. "And maybe share it with Wally as well," she added.

"No," J'onn countered. "I do not wish to contaminate his own memory of finding the Green Lantern. But you will be sufficient," he smiled at Shayera.

"Of course she will," Batman growled.

And even to J'onn's ears, the Bat sounded almost affectionate.

* * *

"Diana, thank you for coming," Vixen said warmly when the door to John's quarters opened on the Amazon.

She stood up to give Wonder Woman a hug as Diana smiled at her and then looked to John in questioning concern.

"No need to worry about me, Princess," John said with a lazy smile from where he was still reclining in bed. "I'm just fine."

"What happened?" Diana said, moving to sit down in the room's empty chair as Vixen reseated herself cross-legged next to John in bed.

"Eh, Sinestro tried a new trick," John said, rubbing a hand over his bald head. "Shot me with an injection of pentothal. Bad aim, though," he grinned. "Missed my artery so all it did was knock me out for awhile."

"Hera!" Diana said, her eyes widening. "That could have killed you, John!" she exclaimed as Mari shuddered again at the thought.

"Pretty sure that was the plan," John said with a twinkle in his glowing green eyes, "but it'll take more than Sinestro to take the Green Lantern out."

"Well, I'm glad you're all right," Diana said with feeling.

"That makes two of us," Vixen agreed fervently.

"Three of us," John laughed. "How's Lex?" he asked Diana. "He got through the battle ok?"

Diana's eyes almost overflowed as much as her heart was in that moment, because for John to be asking after Lex despite how he felt about him, and how he felt about Diana's relationship with him, meant the world to Diana.

It gave her hope for the recovery of their friendship.

"He's fine," Diana smiled. "He actually saved Superman's life," she said.

"No," John said in wonder, staring at her.

"Yes," Diana beamed happily.

Vixen and John looked at each other.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it," John said, even though his words sounded a little forced.

"I'm sure that took courage," Mari offered as graciously as she could, even though her face was a mask of some indeterminate emotion.

"Lois doesn't know what to do with the moral dilemma that's been thrust upon her," Diana offered with a giggle, hoping to add some levity to the mood while empathizing with her friends' conflicting feelings.

"I can imagine," John said, coughing on some deeply understood amusement.

Which maybe shaded slightly towards sardonic humor, but who was counting? At least she and John were making conversation and able to smile at each other again.

By the time that J'onn, Batman, Shayera, and the Flash showed up at John's bedroom door, the trio inside was chatting amiably, Vixen regaling them with stories over a photo shoot gone wrong that had John chuckling and Diana shaking her head over the ways of the fashion world, which she would never understand.

Not that she was going to mind having a beautiful wedding gown to wear, though.

"John!" Shayera said warmly as soon as she entered the room. "How are you?" she asked, not able to keep all of the worry from her voice.

"Ok," John said honestly, giving her a small smile. "Just tired."

"Good," Batman said, scanning him with sharp eyes as Shayera nodded her agreement, letting out the breath that she hadn't realized she'd been holding.

Batman's hand snuck up behind her to rub her back above her wings and Shayera glanced at him in appreciation, leaning into the steady pressure of his hand a little bit and relishing the comfort that it brought her.

"No more scaring us like that, buddy," Wally said, plopping down to sit on the foot of John's bed without asking permission.

"I'll do my best," John laughed.

"Princess," Wally said, regarding the Amazon next with animated interest. "Have you ever seen _The Sound of Music_?" he asked her. "It's a movie," he added, in case she didn't know.

"Here we go," Vixen murmured, pinching her eyebrows together with her thumb and fingers and starting to laugh under her breath.

"No, I haven't seen it," Diana said with a slightly confused smile. "Why?"

"We were talking about it last night," Wally said cheerfully. "And J'onn has never seen it either. I thought maybe we could watch it together with you and Lex at your penthouse," he said, shamelessly inviting himself over.

"Since Lex can't come up here," Wally added with a huge grin to GL, who groaned and rolled his eyes. "And since my apartment is really tiny," the Flash added. "It's not fit to host a Princess and a billionaire," he said with over-exaggerated self-pity.

"It's more than fit enough for Lex," Bruce argued with a playful smirk. "It's better than a cell in Blackgate, isn't it?"

"All right, all right," Diana sighed, giving him an exasperated half-smile. "We know what you think of Lex, Bruce," she said dryly.

"But it's so much fun to hear him say it out loud," John teased, smiling good-naturedly this time at Diana, who didn't take offense to the heroes' light-hearted jesting, which was, after all, a stark contrast to their initial rudeness and downright antagonism towards her relationship.

"Children, please," J'onn said with dramatic despair. "Your other father is recuperating on Earth. I am a single parent today. Do not try my patience," he said, making Vixen snort with laughter.

"There, there, Papa," Wally said, jumping off of the bed to give the Martian a tender hug. "Your favorite son is here for you," he said, nuzzling his head against J'onn's shoulder.

"Shame on the rest of you for making Papa cry!" he scolded the team, turning around to glare at them ferociously, making Diana shake her head with laughter.

"We'd be happy to have you and J'onn over to watch the movie," Diana said to the Flash, trying to steer the conversation back on track. "Tomorrow might work," she said. "I'll have to check with Lex."

"Hooray!" Wally yelled, spinning around before flopping back down onto the bed. "Can Lex order us takeout, too?" he asked her.

"Wally," J'onn chided his son with a tiny chuckle.

"What?" Wally said, grinning. "He's rich!"

"Yes, we can get dinner too," Diana smiled, her eyes laughing along with her ridiculous, good-natured friend.

"But speaking of Lex, and invitations, I wanted to ask you all something," the princess said, suddenly feeling a little nervous.

"What is it, Diana?" J'onn said kindly, sensing her unease even without his telepathic powers.

"Well… Lex and I decided to move the wedding up now that the Legion of Doom operation is over. So, we're going to get married on Friday," Diana said, curling her toes inside her boots to keep her feet steady on the floor as Vixen's eyes popped out of her head and John's eyebrow rose to where his hairline would have been, had he not been keeping his head shaved of late.

"We'd like you all to come," Diana finished bravely. "It will be in the evening at the Feather and Quill Club in Gotham. We're going to keep it small, but I'm going to invite Dinah and Ollie and Kara, too."

There was a moment of silence in the room before Wally literally squealed with excitement.

"Ohmygoshohmygoshohmygosh!" he said, bouncing off the bed in a blur to hug Diana tight. "How are you going to get the wedding planned that fast? What are we going to eat? Who's making the cake? What are you going to wear? Can I be the DJ?"

"No," Bruce growled in answer to the last question. "I've heard your music blasting out of your quarters," he glared when Wally gave him a shocked "O" face.

"Lex's secretary Tess is helping us get all the details worked out," Diana said, gently peeling Wally off of her. "But we still have a lot of decisions to make."

"Can I help?" Wally begged her. "CanIcanIcanI? Please? Pretty please? Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

"Of course," Diana said, surprised. "That would be very sweet of you, Wally. Thank you," she said, feeling pleased and touched.

"Me and Lois are throwing the bachelorette rampage," Shayera announced with a grin.

"Rampage?" John asked, his eyebrow going right back up. "Do I want to know?" he said, looking at Batman.

"No," Bruce said with an actual grin.

Wally gasped.

"Can I come to the bachelorette party too?" he asked Shayera.

"You're not a girl," Shayera pointed out.

"So what?" Wally said. "Gender equality, baby!" he boasted before promptly choking as Shayera's hand shot out and grabbed his throat.

"Do not. call. me. baby," she growled at him.

Wally held his hands up in surrender and Shayera let him go with a fierce look.

"Sheesh, Bats," he rasped out. "Your girl sure is touchy. Eek!" he screamed, dashing out of the room as Shayera lunged for him again.

"I'll go too, and let you get some more rest, John," Diana said, laughing a little bit as she stood to follow Wally at a much more leisurely pace.

She hesitated and looked between the Green Lantern and Vixen before walking out of the room.

"You'll come on Friday…?" she asked them, and Batman hated the way that his heart lurched at the slight vulnerability in Diana's voice.

"We'll come," John said, though.

"J'onn?" Diana asked her best friend, already sure of his answer.

"I would not miss it," J'onn smiled at her. "Let us go catch up to the Flash to discuss this movie of his," he suggested, offering Diana his arm. "I believe it involves singing deities," he said.

"Oh!" Diana said with interest as they walked out the door.

"Nuns!" Vixen called after them.

"I wonder if they lure people to their death like the Sirens," Diana could be heard musing to J'onn as the two friends departed the Green Lantern's quarters.

Vixen gave Bruce and Shayera a questioning look when they didn't immediately follow the rest of the Founders out of the room.

"We have some news," Shayera said, reaching out to grip Bruce's hand tightly in hers for courage.

Mari internally tensed. This could not be good. John appeared to have the same thought, as he seemed to be gritting his teeth next to her in dread.

"We're getting married, too," Shayera said, wanting to keep eye contact with John as she said it but not able to help glancing up at her Bat's eyes as she announced their engagement, or the way that her eyes lit up and the little smile that appeared on her face as Bruce's mouth softened in fondness for her.

Mari heard John's quick intake of breath but pretended that she hadn't.

"On Friday?" John asked after a beat. "That's a mite competitive, don'tcha think?" he said, trying really damn hard to be cool and funny and not bothered.

"Not Friday," Batman said, his mouth twitching. "We haven't decided when yet. It'll be up here whenever it is, though," he said, "since Bruce Wayne and Shayera Hol can't be associated together on Earth."

"Ok," John said in a deceptively easy voice. "Well, let us know when it is and we'll come."

"Thank you," Shayera said softly, finally holding his gaze as they exchanged a silent look of mutual regret and sadness.

"Congratulations," said Vixen with a quiet smile, not wanting to be overly enthusiastic for John's sake, but she meant it.

She hopped off of the bed and came over to warmly hug Batman first, surprising him, although he tolerated it remarkably well, before she gave Shayera a sweet hug, too.

"I hope you'll be very happy," she whispered in Shayera's ear, rubbing her back.

"Thank you," Shy said in a low voice.

Mari smiled at her, her smile getting a smidgen wider when she looked at the Bat, but she didn't say anything else. John was there, after all, and the last thing that Mari wanted to do was cause him more pain.

"We'll get out of your hair now," Batman said, taking Shayera's hand as he turned to leave.

"Feel better, John," Shayera added and he gave her a little nod.

Mari's eyes were full of sympathy when she turned to John as soon as the door slid shut behind the newly engaged couple.

"It's ok," John said, looking at her. "I'm fine," he said. "Really," he insisted.

"Uh huh," Mari said, stretching her legs out and rolling sideways to wrap an arm around his chest.

"And I was born yesterday," she said.

John sighed, tightening the arm that was draped over her shoulders.

"It was my decision to end things with her," he said. "And to stay with you," he added, looking down at his girlfriend.

"You're allowed to be sad," Mari said to him. "You're human."

"So are you," John pointed out. "And it can't be easy to have your boyfriend tied up in knots over his ex getting married."

"Getting married to his best friend," Vixen pointed out. "And I'm a big girl, John," she said. "I keep telling you, I started dating you knowing all about your situation with Shayera. I don't expect you to not have feelings over it."

"I don't think I deserve you," John said, reaching his other hand up to stroke her cheek.

"Beg to differ," Mari said with a twinkle in her eye.


	33. Chapter 33

_**Chapter 33**_

"Wally," Shayera said in a warning tone as she and Batman approached the zeta tube to beam down to Earth with the Flash so that they could investigate the swamp around the Legion of Doom's headquarters for clues as to John's mysterious battle with Sinestro.

"I trust you'll be calling me by my name on this mission," Shayera said with a deadly glare. "Instead of 'baby,'" she growled.

"Geez, Shayera, they say people start to look alike after they've been dating for awhile, but you're starting to _sound_ like Bats!" the Flash observed with a grin.

Shayera raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, but Batman's lips twitched.

"Don't call me baby," the Flash growled out in a low, rumbling voice deep in his chest, imitating Batman and Shayera, both.

"Not if you want to live," Bats added in his trademark gravel, making both Shayera and Wally start to giggle as Batman nodded to the tech to beam them down.

"You'll meet us in Gotham?" Batman asked the Flash as they re-materialized in the cornfields south of Central City.

"Sure things, Batsy!" Flash beamed. "Bet I can beat ya there!" he added, taking off with a zoom.

Shayera rolled her eyes as she picked her fiancé up and began flying towards Gotham.

"Bet he shits his pants if he has to wait around for us before we get there," Shayera laughed in Batman's ear. "Gotham is no Central City," she said, making Bats chuckle in appreciation.

"I love how quickly you've learned that," he said back to her as she flew quickly through the air.

"I love that I learned it within the first three minutes of being in town the day I came to visit you," Shayera laughed. "Did you know I had to beat off a mugger while I was talking on the phone to Alfred?" she said.

"Me! With my wings and mace clearly visible!" she said, shaking her head in what appeared to Batman to be both admiration and respect for the crooks in his town rather than disgust.

Which was only one of the many reasons why Shayera delighted him.

"John took the news of our engagement well," Bats said to her.

"I'll say," Shayera sighed in relief. "I'm sure he's upset, but at least he was able to keep that to himself. Probably helped that Mari was there," she said and Bats grunted his agreement.

"Mari's good for him," Bats observed. "Not that you weren't," he said, twisting his head to meet Shayera's eyes with kindness reflected in his own.

She gave him a sad smile.

"I could have been better," she said quietly. "He didn't deserve for me to be engaged behind his back," she said. "Even though I had been on Earth by myself for so long and even if I'd almost given up hope that my people would ever come. I shouldn't have done that to John," she said softly.

"I was weak," she muttered.

"You were lonely," Batman countered. "In a difficult situation that you were manipulated into by your fiancé."

"Still," Shayera said heavily. "I was wrong."

"Yes," Bats said, "but I think we both know that you were doing the best you could, Shy. I wouldn't be surprised if John knows that, too, despite how much it hurt him."

"Why are you so forgiving of me?" Shayera mused over her Bat's shoulder.

"You're not a bad person," Batman said to her. "Even if you did some bad things at a bad time in your life."

She sighed and rubbed her cheek against his, squeezing his chest a little tighter in a hug as she carried him through the air.

"I love you," Shy told Batman, resting her chin on his shoulder.

"Stop thinking that you don't deserve me," he answered her in his trademark growl.

"How did you know that's what I was thinking?" she burst out in shock, getting a smirk back from her Bat.

"Because I'm Batman," he said, almost playfully for him, making her chuckle.

"And, because I love you," Bats said more seriously, although his voice was still warm. "You're getting easier to read," he commented.

Shayera smiled.

"So are you," she said. "J'onn was concerned that I had developed telepathic powers because of how well I can translate your grunts now," she said, and that made her Bat actually laugh out loud.

Except it came out like a grunt.

Wally was nervously pacing back and forth when Shayera set down with Batman on the deserted road outside of town that led to the Batcave.

The Bat had directed the Flash to wait there for them when Wally had indeed beaten them to Gotham only to promptly call over the comms in a panic asking why he saw so many crimes being committed in broad daylight.

"Some town, Bats!" the Flash said with huge eyes as Bats and Shayera approached him.

"What's the deal?" Wally demanded. "This little old lady tried to rob me at gunpoint!"

"Gotham is like Thanagar," Shayera responded.

"If Thanagar was in the Wild West," Batman corrected gravely.

"True," Shy said, tipping her head to the side. "We had law and order in Thanagar."

Wally shivered.

"No wonder you're so grumpy all the time," he said to Batman, peering at the detective in wonder as if the outer layer of the Bat's personality suddenly made sense.

"Wait here for us," Batman instructed him. "We need to go get the Batwing."

"No! Don't leave me here alone!" Wally pleaded.

"There's no one out here, Wally!" Shayera scolded him.

"You're the Flash," Batman growled with disgust.

"I think you can handle an empty road," Shy said patronizingly.

Wally whimpered pathetically but Shy paid him no mind as she picked Bats back up and began flying towards one of the hidden entrances to the Batcave.

"The road better not win," Batman barked at the Flash from the air.

Shayera snorted.

"Reached your maximum capacity for visitors to the Batcave this week?" she teased him.

Bats groaned.

"If one more person tries to come into my cave," he grumbled. "Lois. Diana. Clark, but he's always been a pain in my ass," he complained. "That's nothing new."

Shayera hummed sympathetically.

"Good call to not let the Flash in," she said. "He's so much of a chatterbox, the whole League would know everything there is to know about the Batcave before he'd been back on the Watchtower for ten minutes."

"Exactly," Batman huffed. "And then he'd start giving secret tours during our patrols."

"No," Shayera said confidently. "He'd try, but everyone would be too scared of you to accept."

"As they should be," Batman muttered to her broad smile.

Wally had succeeded in outsmarting the dirt road and was still alive when they returned in the Batwing to pick him up, and it wasn't long before the heroes were heading towards the secluded Legion of Doom headquarters buried deep in a Louisiana swamp.

"So, you remember where you found John, right?" Shayera asked the Flash as they drew closer to their destination.

"Yep," he said. "Well," he paused, thinking it over. "Yep," he said again.

Batman gave him a side-eyed look.

"I remember, I remember," he protested.

"You'd better," Shayera said. "Because I'm not saying it would be impossible to find the spot based on John's memory that J'onn put in my head, but…"

"It would be almost impossible," Batman said, glaring at Wally.

"I can find it," the Flash promised. "It hasn't rained since yesterday," he said, "so we can retrace my trail."

"Retrace your trail?" Shayera said, turning to look at him.

"Sure," Wally said, chewing on his bubble gum. "When I ran at super speed through the swamp, it smashed the vegetation down to the ground. We can follow it back to where I found GL, because I know where the Princess and Green Arrow were waiting for us relative to the headquarters and I know where I came out of the swamp on my approach," he said.

"Trust me, it'll be a piece of cake," he said.

Batman looked thoughtful but didn't say anything else until they were in range.

"Batwing to Justice League-occupied LoD headquarters," he said into the comms. "We're on our approach."

"Well, howdy, pardner!" they heard back on the other end of the comms. "Vigilante here, keeping the peace at the L-o-D Corral. All quiet out on the range, y'all," he said. "You are cleared for landing."

"Copy that," Batman said, not managing to shut the comms off before Wally had let out a hearty "Yeeeeee-haw!" at the tail end of his transmission.

"Yipyipyip-aiiiiii," they heard back from Vig, making Batman groan and Shayera chuckle.

Vigilante was strolling out of the cloaked headquarters to meet them by the time they landed, followed by Supergirl.

"Hi, guys!" Kara said brightly. "Back so soon?" she said as Wally moved forward to give her a hug and Vigilante a high five that dissolved into an elaborate hand-clapping, thigh slapping salute.

"We need to investigate a few things out in the swamp," Shayera said when it looked like Batman was going to ignore Supergirl's chatty question as irrelevant to his mission of the day.

"Well, y'all need any help, just give us a holler," Vig said. "How's the green space sheriff doin'?" he asked.

"Better," Shayera said gratefully. "Conscious and resting. Just got knocked out," she said, not wanting to divulge too much information.

"Good," Kara said. "Tell him we're thinking of him," she smiled.

"Will do, Supergirl," the Flash beamed.

"We're wasting daylight," Batman grunted sourly, making Wally and Kara roll their eyes at each other while Vig let out a slow chuckle.

"You tell 'em, cowboy," Vig said, tipping his hat to the Bat. "Rope those strayin' doggies and bring 'em back to mama," he said.

Shayera looked at him blankly but refused to ask.

"Let's get started," she said to Wally, instead, gently pulling the Flash away from Supergirl who he looked ready to settle down into a long gossipy chat with.

"Ok, ok," Wally sighed.

"So," he said. "We were around the corner," he said, trotting around the side of the building at an actual human pace so that Batman and Shayera could keep up.

"We met up here where my team was stationed after the battle was over," he said, leading them to a small clearing.

"Wonder Woman's team came in from the north," he said, pointing, "and GL and Supergirl and the rest of their team were south, right across from the front door," he said.

"Their strategy was to flush any escapees towards me rather than let them get around the other side of the building," he explained. "And my team sent any overflow to Diana. The only one who broke the pattern was Sinestro who went straight for GL instead of trying to escape," he said.

"But with what motive?" Shayera frowned. "Revenge, or was it a deliberate plan?" she said and Batman nodded in approval of the question.

"I came out of the swamp… there," Wally said, motioning to the spot after briefly glancing around the clearing. "You can see where I went in over there," he added, pointing to his left.

Batman grunted but Shayera frowned.

"Where?" she asked.

The whole stretch of swamp looked the same to her without any obvious differences. Wally trotted over to point it out to her.

"Look down here on the ground," he said. "See how these weeds are flattened?" he asked her.

"That's a very narrow strip," Shy said in surprise. "I thought it would be more obvious."

"It is obvious," Wally shrugged. "To me, anyway," he grinned at her. "See, look," he said, lifting his hand to point further down the path.

"The weeds are flattened wherever my feet touched down," he said. "But it's spaced out the way my paces are when I'm running," he explained. "Once you start looking for it, it gets easier to notice," he said, patting Shy kindly on the shoulder.

She gave him a look of newfound respect, marveling at the speedster's attention to detail, which, frankly, she had never had an opportunity to notice before.

"Let's retrace your steps backwards," Batman said. "Where did you emerge from?" he said.

"Over here," Wally said, lightly running back over to the path. "See, Shayera," he said to the Thanagarian, "the blades are flattened in the opposite direction on this path," he said. "Towards us. Because I was running towards the clearing," he said.

"We just have to follow it back, but I'll probably remember sort of where it was once we get close," he said.

"Don't step on the path," he cautioned, moving off to the side.

Shy glanced at Batman, picked him up, and began slowly flying, following the Flash who was jogging through the swamp at a fairly quick pace, scanning ahead for his trail but seeming to find it without much trouble.

Shayera, for her part, couldn't tell what she was looking at from the air, but Batman had put binoculars up to his eyes and seemed to know what he was seeing.

At a few points Wally paused, circling around while looking for his marks, but then got his bearings and led them on. Once, Batman called to him from the air and pointed out the path, earning a cheerful thanks from the Speedster.

"We should be getting close," Wally called up some time later.

"How can you tell?" Shy yelled down to him before descending a little bit so they could hear each other better.

"I know about how many seconds I was running for," Wally said, "and how fast I was running. So I could calculate how far away GL was from the headquarters and I've been tracking our distance," he said, holding up his wrist that had a sports monitor around it.

Once again, Shayera found herself staring at Wally with a certain amount of surprise and wonder. It wasn't that she disrespected the Flash as a teammate or begrudged him his position as a Founding member of the Justice League; on the contrary, Shayera was fully aware of Wally's tactical capabilities in battle and appreciated the unique gifts that he brought to the team.

But as far as his brains went? Shy found herself feeling slightly ashamed. Wally was just so… silly, she thought to herself. He acted as if he had no brains. Yet he seemed to have this mission down, she realized, and had come prepared.

"Was the Green Lantern in the air when Sinestro launched the tree at him?" Batman asked Shayera, who nodded. "See if you can fly at about that height and keep your eyes peeled," he told her.

They had only gone a few hundred yards more before Wally was waving them over.

"This is it," he said with complete confidence. "You can see where GL was slumped down against the tree, here," he said, showing them the spot in the weeds.

"A lot of the more flexible weeds have already rebounded," Wally was explaining to Shayera, without being asked, "but see how some of the sharper stalks have snapped?" he said to her.

"And here's my trail leading up to GL," he said, motioning to his path, "those weeds are still flattened because of my speed," he said. "I basically killed them," he grinned.

And indeed, Shayera could finally see some of the differences that he was referencing. But how Wally could see everything so clearly and so quickly, she had no idea.

"The Flash is CSI," Batman murmured to her.

She turned to look at him.

"Crime Scene Investigation," the Bat said. "Forensics expert. It's his day job."

"Oh!" Shayera said, completely stunned now. "I didn't know that, Flash," she said slowly.

"Well, some of us were told to keep our identities _secret_," he fussed, pouting at Batman. "Until it turned out that Spooky here knew them all already. I still can't believe you're -" Batman slapped his hand over the Flash's mouth and glared at him furiously.

"Anyone could be listening," he snapped at him. "Which is exactly why we never discuss our identities in public."

"Sorry," Wally mumbled when Batman finally freed his mouth.

"Is there a downed tree?" Batman said, after a final glare, turning around in a circle. "And is it where it should be?" he added.

"There," Shayera said, pointing. "And…" she turned to her left, "that's where it was uprooted from."

"Same as the Lantern's memory?" Batman asked her, but she was frowning.

"No," she said, moving closer. "It's similar," she said, eyeing it. "But it's not exactly the right size. GL's was thicker," she said. "And… the leaves are wrong, I think," she added.

"Unless someone has a photographic memory, which the Green Lantern doesn't," Batman said, "memories are imperfect. Especially in situations of stress. Plus, he didn't get more than a few seconds to see the tree coming towards him and react to it before he was caught by Sinestro and knocked out. _If _that's what really happened," he said.

"So it may not be significant that there are some differences between his memory and the reality," Batman said. "Do you remember seeing the downed tree yesterday, Flash?" Batman asked him.

"I don't know," Wally admitted, chewing on his lip. "I was too caught up in looking for GL and then when I found him I was worried he was dead at first," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"All I cared about was finding him and getting him back to the base. I wasn't looking around at the time," he said.

Batman sighed but didn't chastise the speedster, because it wasn't like it was his fault that he'd been focused on the more important task at hand when he'd been searching for John.

"I can tell you this, though," Wally said, moving forward and looking at the tree trunk laying on the ground more intently before turning to look at where it had been pulled up from.

He hesitated for a moment.

"In GL's memory, Sinestro pulled this tree up and threw it at him with a lot of force, right?" he asked Shayera.

"Yes," she said. "Well, GL didn't see him pull it up, but it was hurled across his path with tremendous force and speed."

Wally shook his head.

"Then we got a mystery on our hands, Bats," he said, looking at the detective. "Because this tree wasn't thrown. It was placed here."

"What do you mean?" Batman said sharply.

"Look at this," Wally said, motioning him and Shayera forward. "If the tree had been thrown with a lot of force, all these lower branches would have been sharply snapped off when it landed," he said, motioning to the ones closest to the ground as he dropped numbered evidence markers next to the ones he saw as significant.

"And some of the smaller branches would have gone flying," he added as he slowly walked around the trunk.

"But these branches are more gently broken," he said, "and only on one side, as if the trunk was gently lowered to ground and then it rolled a little bit to accommodate the branches on the backside. You can tell because of the splinter pattern," he said, pointing it out as he dropped some more markers.

"Also, the ground would have been heavily indented from where the tree landed and it would have slid some, too, with as much as it weighs and as hard as you say Sinestro threw it. You can see that the ground is barely depressed," he said, indicating, "and there's not any skid marks anywhere."

"What the hell," Shayera muttered, staring at Bats and then at Wally before looking back at the tree in confusion.

"And," Wally said, "I don't know all the mechanics of the Lantern rings, but it's still physics," he said, "when they throw something. They need a wind-up of momentum in order to get the force and velocity they want."

"See where the trunk was pulled out of the ground?" the Flash said, walking them a little distance away to the gaping hole, which he also marked.

"It's a clean, even hole on all sides, meaning the tree was pulled straight up into the air. In the heat of battle, Sinestro would have had to yank the tree out to the left and then hurl it to the right in order for it to land as far away from the hole as it did," he explained.

"Conclusion? This tree was planted," he said with a wink and a smirk, making Shayera groan out loud at his pun.

But Batman clapped a hand on Wally's shoulder.

"Well done, Flash," he said sincerely, causing the Speedster to turn as red as his uniform at the Bat's rare words of praise.

"Yes, great job, Flash," Shayera echoed, staring at him in awe. "I'm very impressed."

"I give a whole new meaning to the term, 'don't quit your day job,'" Wally boasted, regaining a little bit of his bluster as he twirled around in place before lifting his camera up from where he had it strapped around his body so he could begin taking evidence photos.

"So, who placed the tree here as false evidence, then?" Shayera said, frowning again. "And why?"

"And who gave GL a fake memory?" Wally added as he snapped pictures. "J'onn said he should have had mental scars from a mind invasion and he doesn't."

"And given that the rest of his memory is a fake, he may not have been injected with sodium pentothal at all," Batman said. "Which means that something else knocked him out. We should have the bloodwork and urine test results by tonight so we'll know for sure if it was pentothal."

"Dr. Psycho is a possible suspect," Batman continued, "given that he could have both uprooted the tree with his telekinesis and planted a false memory, although how he managed to do so without scarring GL's mind, I don't know. Perhaps J'onn can provide us with more answers on that puzzle."

"Either Star Sapphire or Sinestro could have moved the tree, though," Shayera pointed out. "Since Star Sapphire was a no-show yesterday and Sinestro was on the loose fighting with John."

"Someone with magical abilities could have done both the telekinesis and the memory alteration as well," Batman said, thinking out loud. "Tala was the only magician in the Legion of Doom. But there's Enchantress and Faust to think about," he sighed. "Neither of whom are in Arkham at the moment."

"And there's probably some Greek beings with powers that Diana and the Amazons have dealt with who could be suspects," Shayera said.

"Also, Morgaine le Fey," Wally added. "She was in the past, but hey, we've been to the past before. And the future."

"We can't rule anyone out who has the powers to do even one of the tasks," Batman agreed, "since it could have been a team effort. We'll have to assemble a complete list of suspects back at home," Batman said to Shayera, who smiled at him and made Wally "Awwwwwww."

"You guys live together now?" he cooed over to them as he walked around picking up his evidence tags, having finished documenting his findings.

Shy caught Batman's eye and then said, "We're engaged, actually."

"What?" Wally gasped. "No way! Does Diana know? Does GL know? Does everybody know except me?"

"J'onn doesn't know yet," Shayera said. "And Clark was sleeping, but we told Lois."

"I know before Poppa _and _Daddy?" Wally squealed. "I _am _the favorite!" he crowed, doing a little happy dance.

"Favorite son," Batman muttered. "Not favorite Founder."

"Now, Bats, we both know I'm both," Wally beamed at him.

"Do you want an engagement photo?" he asked them. "I could take it right here," he offered. "You could sit on the tree!" he said, bouncing up and down.

"The detective and his assistant -" "Warrior," Shayera frowned - "Warrior Watson," Batman amended, kissing her cheek - "- working the case together," Wally finished, ignoring the couple's interruptions.

Batman was about to scoff and say no, but he hesitated when he saw the way that Shayera's eyes were lighting up a little bit as she considered Wally's offer while she looked over at the tree.

"Come on," Batman said to her, holding his hand out. "Let's do it."

"Really?" she said to him, looking startled but not at all displeased.

"Yes," he said, leaning forward to kiss her in lieu of breaking his Batman mold and accidentally smiling in front of the Flash.

"Yay!" Wally exclaimed. "Let's take a lot!"

"You said one," Batman tried to protest but the Flash was already tugging Shayera over to put her in position for the first shot.

"I have so many poses in mind that we can do!" Wally was beaming. "Shayera, you perch here like a little birdie -" "- _what?_" said Shayera, turning to stare at him, "and Bats, come here, stand on your head like you're hanging upside down from the branches," the Flash ordered him.

Batman and Shayera both slowly turned to stare at the Flash in a similarly frightening way.

He gulped.

"Or, um, you could just sit down next to each other," he mumbled.

"We'll do that," Batman snarked with twelve times more attitude than was strictly necessary.

"Yeah," said Shayera, glaring at Wally.

"Do… do you want to smile for the photos?" he whispered nervously as they sat down. "But posing angry is ok, too," he said quickly.

Shayera sighed and rolled her eyes as she looked over at her Bat to silently communicate some disdain towards Wally, not realizing that the Flash was surreptitiously snapping photos already as she and Batman made eye contact in a way that made Wally wonder if he had hallucinated their earlier compliments towards him.

But then Shayera was leaning in and kissing Bats, and that was awfully sweet, so he took some pictures of that, too, and then she turned to face the camera again and laid her head on his shoulder while he wrapped his arm around her waist under her wings.

And Batman wasn't exactly smiling, but he wasn't exactly frowning, either, and Shayera had a tiny smile on her face, so Wally dutifully took the not-as-cute shots.

"I'll email them to you later today," he said when they stood, deciding for him that the brief photo shoot had come to an end.

"And the evidence ones," Batman said, and Wally nodded.

"Did y'all find what you were lookin' for?" Vigilante asked the trio as they popped their heads inside the cloaked base to say good-bye before heading out.

"We got some useful information," Batman said. "Keep us posted of any activity here at the base," he said.

"Roger that, good buddy," Vig said, tossing off a salute.

"Come on, Wally," Shayera sighed.

"Bye, Kara," she added as she walked over to the pair so she could grab Wally's hand to literally tug him away from the teenager who he was talking a mile a minute to, apparently deep in the throes of a dramatic conversation despite having only just arrived back at base.

"Text me the rest!" Wally called as he allowed himself to be dragged off to the Batwing. "And tell Janet that Kurt is a no-good punk and she can do better!"

Kara nodded, her thumbs already flying over her phone almost as fast as she could fly through the air, making Wally's phone buzz with a flurry of incoming messages.

"Well, that was a productive mission, at least," Shayera said once the Batwing was back in the air and they were on their way back to Gotham. "Even if it left us with more questions."

"Can you drop me off at the zeta tube?" Wally asked them. "Or in Central City? Or Metropolis?"

Batman turned around to give him a look.

"What?" Wally said. "You're the one who doesn't like metas in Gotham, Bats, and from now on I will back you up on that one hundred percent," Wally said firmly.

"No metas in Gotham. Especially not speedsters. Nuh uh," he said. "Gotham is a no-speed zone. No-meta zone. Grumpy Bat only zone."

"Grumpy Bat and Gotham Gargoyle only zone," Shayera corrected. "Oh, you should see my new mask, Wally!" she said with excitement. "It's way scarier than my old one," she said cheerfully.

"And way hotter," Batman smirked with pride.

"Do I have to come to Gotham to see it?" Wally said.

"Yes," said Shayera.

"I'll pass," he said promptly. "Send me a selfie."

"Superheroes don't take selfies," Batman growled at him.

"They… don't?" Wally asked slowly.

"No," Batman growled.

"Is… that a Gotham City only rule?" Wally asked him even more hesitantly.

"No," Batman said, really turning around to look at him sharply. "Photos can compromise our identities," he said, like it should be obvious.

"The ones you took of me and Shayera are only for us," Batman said with a strongly implied threat in his voice. "In fact," he said, holding his hand out, "give me the data card," he said.

"They're expensive!" Wally protested.

"I'll buy you more," Batman said. "Card. Now," he said.

"I have other photos on there," Wally grumbled as he nonetheless obediently pulled the memory card out and handed it to Batman.

"Hopefully not nudes!" Shayera said cheerfully.

"No," Wally sulked.

"Good. Then I'll send you the rest," Batman said, unable to repress a slight shudder at the thought of stumbling across nudes of the Flash.

"And… we'll drop you in Central City," Batman sighed, not wanting to admit it but feeling the slightest bit bad about the sad puppy routine that Wally was now giving him.

"Here," the Bat added, flipping down a compartment on the Batwing dashboard and taking out a wad of cash, which he handed to Wally.

"Buy some new memory cards. And dinner," he added.

"And a Lamborghini," Wally said, lighting up at the amount of money that Batman had just handed him.

Batman sighed but he couldn't deny that he liked the soft way that Shayera was smiling over at him now. Or the fact that Wally was looking less melancholy and positively cheerful as he counted the cash that he'd just been handed.

"We'll see you later, Wally," Shayera said when they dropped him off a little later.

"Bye, guys!" Wally said with a grin, pleased to be safe and sound in Central City instead of shaking in his boots in Gotham.

Batman gave him a little nod before lifting the Batwing back up and into the air.

"Why did you say 'yes' to the engagement photos with Wally?" Shayera asked him gently once they were alone. "If you're that against taking photos in the masks?"

Batman looked at her.

"You wanted them," he said simply.

And as warmth flooded Shayera's heart and overflowed into her smile and her eyes as she gazed, awe-struck, at her Bat, she realized in that moment that she had never in her life been so loved - not by Hro and not even by John, who had one of the biggest hearts of anyone she'd known.

She still didn't think that she deserved any goodness in her life after the terrible things that she'd done - but she was beyond grateful that her grumpy Bat thought differently.


	34. Chapter 34

_**Chapter 34**_

Lois stared at her phone unwillingly as it rang before heaving an aggravated sigh and answering it.

"Lois Lane," she said, even though she knew damn well who was calling.

"Lois," the cultured voice on the other end responded. "This is Lex. I wanted to check in on how Clark was doing."

He sounded kind and lacked his trademark smirk of superiority; in fact, it seemed like he was going out of his way to avoid riling Lois up.

Which, naturally, riled her the fuck up.

Because who was Lex Luthor to sit there and be kind to her and Clark? After everything he'd done?

"Clark's still sleeping," Lois said in a carefully composed, neutral voice. "Which is to be expected. We're going to try to wake him up tonight to check in on him, though."

"But he's not in distress?" Lex asked her. "No trouble breathing?"

"No, nothing like that," Lois sighed. "With as much solar light as Batman is pumping into him, he'll be fine. It'll just take some time. How much, we're not quite sure."

"Good," Lex said in a voice that sounded completely sincere, which made Lois's chest get tight and angry.

"Thank you for saving him," she gritted out, as if the words were made of sharp glass.

"One down, four hundred and thirty-two to go," Lex said calmly.

"What?" Lois snapped at him. "Four hundred and thirty-two - what the fuck are you talking about, Lex?" she demanded.

"It's only an estimate, of course," Lex drawled with what sounded suspiciously like a note of amusement in his voice, "but I believe that's the number of times that I need to save Clark's life in order to balance out the scales from my attempts to snuff it out."

"You've tried to kill Clark _four hundred and thirty-two times?_" Lois screeched into the phone, rage filling her belly now, replacing her earlier discomfort.

"No, no," Lex reassured her. "Some of those were just plans that had yet to be acted on."

"I _hate you_," Lois hissed.

"I would expect no less," Lex chuckled amiably and Lois's angry breath suddenly deflated as if pricked with a pin.

A begrudging smile of respect made its way onto her face, which thankfully Lex couldn't see - because had he really just deliberately stirred her up so that she'd stop feeling uncomfortable from having to thank him?

Dammit.

Her reporter intuition told her yes.

Why he had to be such a genius, she thought to herself, with a touch of reluctant admiration for his tactics. Hell, she used similar feints herself when she was trying to draw information out of a hostile source.

Lois didn't like Lex, but she could give points to a fellow strategician, she thought sourly.

"Diana said you're getting married on Friday," Lois grumbled to him.

"Yes," Lex said, and if Lois had turned speaker phone on, the amount of sunshine beaming out of Lex's voice would have undoubtedly roused Clark on the spot from his healing slumber.

"Any particular reason why you suddenly felt the need to push the wedding up so soon…?" Lois asked Lex, idly fingering the bedspread as if she wasn't fishing for sinister motives.

Lex hesitated.

_Aha_, thought Lois.

"What did Diana say?" the supposedly former villain countered smoothly.

"That there wasn't any reason to wait now that the Legion of Doom raid was over," Lois said back, smooth as a snake.

There was another slight pause on the other end of the phone.

"And you don't believe her?" Lex asked, instead of answering the question.

_Interesting,_ Lois thought to herself.

"Oh, I believe _Diana_," Lois said, stressing her friend's name. "She's head over heels in love with you, isn't she?"

"As I am with her," Lex said calmly.

"Right," Lois said suspiciously. "Of course you are. I told the Justice League so, didn't I?" she mused. "After you very conveniently had me over for dinner right before they had to make a decision about the Legion of Doom raid."

"Which went beautifully, aside from Clark's injury," Lex replied patiently.

"Yes," Lois drawled out. "Funny how Clark was the only one to get hurt," she said.

"The Green Lantern also got knocked out, I understand," Lex pointed out. "Although Diana messaged me earlier that he had regained consciousness."

"Mm," Lois said thoughtfully. "Thought you said Clark's attack was the only thing that didn't go 'beautifully,'" she scoffed in an imitation of Lex's cultured tone.

"I didn't know how much about the battle Bruce and Diana had shared with you," Lex said, with the subtlest hint of impatient irritation in his voice, now.

_Bingo_, Lois thought.

"Someone may have mentioned at dinner that she preferred to be kept out of the loop," Lex continued with a bit more snark.

"Out of certain loops," Lois agreed easily. "But I can't help feeling that this wedding seems a little… rushed," she said sweetly, swinging back around to her target.

"What's the hurry, Lex?" she wondered out loud, innocent as a lamb.

"We're in love and we no longer see a reason to wait," Lex snapped with only a modicum of patience. "Not everything about me is a giant conspiracy theory, Lois," he said in annoyance.

"Whatever you say, Lex," Lois said breezily.

"Not everything is your business, either," Lex growled at her.

_There it is_, thought Lois.

"My friend's welfare is definitely my business," Lois argued with the smile of a predator preparing to pounce on its prey.

Lex let out an exasperated sigh.

"And how do you think Diana's welfare will be impacted by your lack of support for the happiest day of her life?" he asked her, strategically switching to the offensive.

"You're her best friend, Lois," Lex said more gently, attempting to reel himself back in.

"Diana's already upset that most of the Justice League wouldn't show up to her wedding if she invited them, which is why we're keeping it small. It would mean the world to her if you could manage to let the investigative reporter bit go this week and just be her friend."

_An emotional appeal,_ Lois thought. _Interesting choice of diversionary tactics. _

"I am being her friend," Lois said calmly. "I'm not hounding her for answers and I'm throwing the damn bachelorette party, which, by the way, Lex, if you ever need to torture someone, there's your method."

"I don't torture people anymore," Lex said dryly. "I'm leaving that to Lois Lane and her infinite questions and insatiably suspicious mind."

"Well, you don't win the Pulitzer by smiling and nodding," Lois said cheerfully.

"Or by chasing dead ends," Lex said pointedly.

He sighed.

"I truly am glad that Clark is all right," he said. "I hope you can believe that, Lois."

"I believe that he's not dead," she said. "And that it is, apparently, thanks to you."

"And I'm grateful that he'll recover," Lois added. "Because, Lex? If anything ever happens to Clark _or _Diana? Hell hath no fury like Lois Lane."

"Which Diana would readily verify, being on a first name basis with Hades," Lex said with some amusement.

"But as furious as the vengeance of Lois Lane might be," he continued with a sudden amount of steel in his tone, "I promise you this. The fury of Lois Lane would pale in comparison to the retribution of Lex Luthor if anyone - _anyone_ \- dares to hurt Diana."

The amount of threat in his voice actually made Lois shiver, as she remembered suddenly just who the fuck she was talking to and what, exactly, he was capable of.

Lex might be acting all sweet and lovely with Diana Prince as of late and charming to her friends - but make no mistake, Lois thought to herself.

Diana wasn't the only one on a first name basis with the devil.

* * *

"We need to talk," Batman said brusquely to J'onn as the visual comm link between the Batcave and J'onn's private office in the Watchtower flared to life.

"Your investigation yielded results, I take it," J'onn said to Batman and Shayera, who was sitting by his side at the Batcomputer.

"Results that ask more questions instead of providing answers," the Thanagarian said to him grimly.

"The felled tree?" Batman said to J'onn. "It was there - but placed there to mislead us. The Flash is certain based on the forensic evidence that it wasn't ripped out of the ground and thrown at John."

J'onn's eyebrows went up.

"Also," Shayera said, "the tree in John's memory that you showed me was slightly different from the one we found. Which Batman thought at first could be because of natural memory imperfections. But given that the tree wasn't actually thrown at John…"

J'onn steepled his long green fingers in front of his face.

"Then a telepath was not present during John's battle with Sinestro," the Martian Manhunter concluded decisively. "Furthermore, John's memory was created first and the scene staged afterwards."

"How do you figure?" Batman said in surprise, raising an eyebrow beneath his cowl.

"A telepath would not have altered the tree's appearance even in subtle ways when reconstructing John's memory," J'onn said. "They would have transferred the exact image of the particular tree that they were looking at into John's mind."

"And had the tree been moved before the creation of the memory," J'onn said, "the telepath who altered John's mind would have undoubtedly drawn upon the memories of whoever set the stage in order to create a more flawless deception."

"Because their memories would have been less corrupted," Batman said, drumming his fingers on the computer console. "Without the adrenaline and rush of battle."

"Precisely," J'onn agreed.

"You said that you felt something in John's mind when you went in," Shayera said. "A presence, possibly."

"Yes," J'onn intoned with concern. "Which leads to the question - who is powerful enough to alter John's mind from the Earth when John is not on the planet? Or…" he hesitated, looking grim.

"Was it someone on the Watchtower who did it?" Shayera finished for him.

She and Batman looked at each other.

"A traitor…" Shayera said.

"Or an infiltrator," Batman added.

J'onn sighed and rubbed his forehead.

"Indeed," he said. "And then there are the unresolved questions of how, precisely, John lost consciousness during the battle and how his memory was so smoothly altered, without mental trauma."

"Dr. Thompkins should have the lab results for me in a few hours," Batman grunted, "which I'm betting will be negative for pentothal."

"A reasonable assumption based on what your team has discovered," J'onn agreed.

Shayera was tapping her fingers thoughtfully on her knee.

"If John was unconscious, would he have had fewer mental defenses to a telepathic attack?" she asked.

"Depending on what rendered him unconscious, yes," J'onn said. "But that is the conundrum. His vitals were normal. He was not concussed. If the labwork indeed reveals that there were no drugs in his system, then…?"

"What the fuck happened?" Shayera murmured, meeting first Batman and then J'onn's worried eyes.

* * *

_A/N Sorry for a slightly shorter chapter, but the scenes fit better paired this way and ending here. The next chapter will be longer! _


	35. Chapter 35

_A/N This chapter contains...some frank discussion of lemons, without actual consumption of lemons. Ahem. Read at your own risk. _

* * *

_**Chapter 35**_

"Lex Luthor," he drawled into his cellphone as he picked it up from his sleek desk in his massive LexCorp office that towered over the rest of Metropolis.

Lex didn't recognize the number which meant that it was inevitably one of the lesser Justice League twits calling. He knew the numbers of the ones he cared about: Clark, Bruce, J'onn, Wally, and Lois, although Wally didn't know yet that Lex had his phone number.

His and Diana's dinner last week with Wally and J'onn had been enjoyable, but one evening of camaraderie wasn't enough to prompt Lex to give out his private number. Especially not to someone as flighty as the Flash - the boy would be calling him twenty times a day, Lex had no doubt.

Boundaries did not appear to be a word in Wally West's vocabulary.

Still, he might rather deal with Wally than whichever drone had been given the privilege of calling him for reconnaissance. To say that Lex was irritated that the League leaders were giving out his private cell phone number was an understatement.

However, no need to snarl at an underling.

Yet.

He'd wait to see what they wanted, first.

"It's Shayera," the Thanagarian said with no preamble.

Oh. Well, that was a surprise. Lex hadn't been aware that the woman possessed anything other than a League communicator, as anti-social as she was.

Because really, who would she call? he thought to himself with a smirk.

"Shayera," Lex said back to her. "An unexpected pleasure."

She snorted.

"What can I do for you?" Lex asked her curiously.

"How many Legion of Doom members typically miss an all-call meeting?" she snapped.

Well, maybe 'snapped' was harsh. The woman always sounded like that, he supposed. She had the personality of a cactus. Really, she and Bruce were perfect for each other in that respect, Lex thought with idle amusement.

"We've never had one before," Lex said.

"Really?" Shayera said suspiciously.

"Really," Lex said dryly. "With so many villains on my roster, there were always capers being pulled, scheduling conflicts… the beauty of the Legion of Doom was our ability to function cohesively with as little bureaucracy as possible."

"How did you get everyone on board for Sunday night, then?" the Thanagarian demanded.

"Well, it was an unusual circumstance," Lex said. "Everyone was curious as to how I had managed to pull off the con of the century in successfully wooing Wonder Woman," he said grandly.

"But I did have to forcibly reschedule a few operations so that everyone could attend," he said.

"Not Star Sapphire's and Goldface's, by chance?" Shayera asked, frowning on her end of the line.

"No, no," Lex assured her. "Disgruntled though certain members were at my firmer than normal hands on the reins last week, none of them would have been foolish enough to oppose me so blatantly by skipping my meeting for an op I'd specifically canceled. But Star Sapphire and Goldface had nothing on the calendar that night before I called everyone in."

"So, where do you think they were?" Shayera asked him.

"I have no idea," Lex said calmly.

He began counting the seconds as Shayera's stony silence extended in response to his bland statement. If she was waiting to see who would blink first, she had a long wait coming, Lex thought to himself. One didn't become a billionaire magnate by being easily manipulated, after all.

He was up to eighty-seven seconds before Shayera spoke again.

"Perhaps you could venture a guess," she said icily.

"What purpose could that possibly serve?" Lex scoffed. "Without any clues as to their whereabouts, my 'guess' would be feckless conjecture which wouldn't help in the slightest with your investigation."

"Any particular reason why you're being so uncooperative today?" Shayera asked him in a low growl.

"Uncooperative?" Lex chuckled. "My dear Gotham Gargoyle, I willingly picked up a call from an unknown number, surmising that it was one of J'onn's legions calling. I have answered every question that you have put to me and I have more than admirably fulfilled my end of our joint operation."

"If you require any further concrete information instead of useless speculation, don't hesitate to have Batman call me," Lex said dismissively.

"Good day," he added just to be an ass, and hung up the phone.

He chuckled to himself as he went back to work on his computer, busily tying up all the loose ends in LexCorp that needed resolving before his wedding and honeymoon.

He supposed that he shouldn't needle Shayera so, but she was so easy to toy with and Lex had to get his jollies in somewhere now that he was more or less going straight. Besides, she and Diana had had a rocky friendship at best since the Thanagarian invasion and Diana had been distraught over Hol's sudden romance with Batman.

Which he'd counseled his beloved to work through with her friend, yes, yes, but that was only for Diana's sake because she valued the alien's friendship. He didn't give a rat's ass about the Thanagarian otherwise.

Lex might have come a long way from his once staunch anti-alien stance, but he'd only come to appreciate Superman over years of knowing him. Begrudgingly at first, but Lex couldn't deny that after so much time invested in trying to kill the man, they'd formed a bond and, well, Lex rather liked him now. Kent was amusing and Lex was always in need of a good laugh.

Lois, though - there was a woman who Lex wholeheartedly admired. Not when she was sticking her nose into LexCorp, mind, but he'd always kept his hands and his company so squeaky clean to any outsider's purview that she'd never been able to find a smudge.

However, Lex wouldn't hesitate to admit the massive respect that he had for his fellow shark. She was a predator through and through and didn't give a damn who knew it or who might judge her for it.

Lex frankly adored reading each and every one of her exposés in _The Daily Planet_, though he'd never told her so. Watching her devour her minnows - why, it was better than a front row seat at the Metropolis aquarium at feeding time.

He supposed that he could better understand now that he was with Diana how a woman like Lois had ended up with a man like Clark. Diana and Clark were the rays of sunlight filtering down to the murky deep waters where he and Lois dwelt, fascinating the sharp-toothed creatures with their endlessly foreign qualities.

What the light saw in them, though? Lex couldn't rightly say.

But since he'd gotten over his massive prejudice towards aliens while dancing his pas de deux with Superman, Lex had found it surprisingly easy to appreciate the unique person that was J'onn J'onnz.

Truthfully, Lex had been pleasantly startled to discover that he genuinely liked the Martian Manhunter and far better than he liked Clark, except for the fact that he and Clark had such a delicious history together at this point. Clark was such a _Boy Scout _and Lex did so despise a goody two-shoes.

Unless it was Diana.

J'onn, though. J'onn was a much darker soul. He'd done some things in his day, Lex would wager. And he was so very much more sophisticated than simple Smallville. The wry twist of J'onn's lips at dinner last week had frequently mirrored Lex's own as Wally had regaled them with tale after tale of absolutely no importance whatsoever.

Lex was pleased indeed that J'onn was who Diana called her best friend; Lex was looking forward to getting to better know the Martian and expected that he himself might even call J'onn a friend one day.

And Wally, well, who could dislike Wally? Really, the young man was as friendly and energetic as a litterful of puppies. Lex wouldn't want him around all the time and he definitely wouldn't be giving him his phone number any time soon, but the red speedster was a pleasant hum of background noise in a gathering and someone who Lex found quite refreshing.

Unlike Superman's narrow moral goodness and sober-minded walking of any and all lines imaginable, Wally West was an equally good-hearted soul but frankly ridiculous. It made him much more tolerable than the Man of Steel, in Lex's opinion.

Then, of course, there was Batman.

Oh, Lex did so enjoy having a superior mind to battle with. And it was positively delightful fun for Lex to make extra efforts to cross paths with billionaire Bruce Wayne as often as possible for the sole purpose of rankling the Bat. Except for the sadness that Bruce had caused Diana, Lex respected the Dark Knight.

Wouldn't befriend him, because the man had no friends, due to being such a dourly unpleasant wet blanket, but Bruce was truly an enemy counter-strategist of the top shelf variety and Lex relished their mental battles.

Shayera Hol, however.

Well. Shayera Hol was quite another matter. Lex would accept aliens who came to Earth in peace at this point in his life, but Lex would have counted it a victory if Shayera had been killed in the Thanagarian invasion. The woman had been a spy, for fuck's sake! And led an invasion force!

Oh, Lex hadn't done it openly, but after the Justice League had saved the world, he had leaned heavily on the United Nations to force the team of superheroes to oust Shayera Hol so that she could be tried as a war criminal. Lex would have liked to see her rotting in a prison cell - preferably one under Cadmus's authority where he could have studied her DNA.

But, alas. The _heroes _had triumphed, as those with superior fire power always do.

Lex was not a man to forget the past. It was only because of his vast love for Diana that he had been willing to set aside his personal feelings towards the traitor when he had encouraged Diana to make up with her. If Shayera made Diana happy and Diana wanted her as a friend, then Lex would support his woman.

But he sure as hell wouldn't pass up an opportunity to get the Thanagarian's feathers all ruffled. Lex had already been in a good mood with his impending nuptials just days away, but he was downright cheerful after hanging up on the snarky bird-woman.

He blissfully typed away on his computer, humming a happy little tune as he spent the next several hours sending emails, pushing back project deadlines, and generally rearranging and resolving whatever LexCorp business his dear Tess and her minions wouldn't be capable of doing in his stead.

He and Diana hadn't even talked about a honeymoon destination yet, he realized. He wondered where the Amazon princess might like to go. She'd still seen so little of man's world, as she called it, that Lex was willing to bet that there would be several cities she'd be eager to see.

Granted, she'd worked around the globe as Wonder Woman, but it was a little difficult to get sightseeing done when one was otherwise occupied containing a terrorist attack or rescuing people from a natural disaster, Lex assumed.

Maybe she'd rather have a beach vacation, though? A private island in the Caribbean, perhaps? Lex owned several, of course. As well as some in Hawaii if she preferred the Pacific. Themyscira was an island, after all, and Lex wondered if Diana would like to spend their honeymoon somewhere that reminded her of home, or if it would instead be too painful a reminder of what she'd lost.

Instead of what she'd gained… namely, Lex Luthor as her husband.

Her husband.

Truly, the title made Lex dizzy. Of all the realms that Lex Luthor had set out to conquer as a young man, marriage had never once been a goal or even a desire.

And now, he was so giddy at the prospect - yes, giddy, the great Lex Fucking Luthor! - that he could hardly contain himself.

"Come in," he called to the knock at his door when the late October skies were starting to darken noticeably earlier than they had not two weeks ago.

"Diana," he smiled in pleasure as she came bounding into the room through Tess's outer office, shutting the door behind her although Tess had gone home an hour ago at five with the promise that his wedding plans were well on their way.

"Lex!" Diana sang happily as she forewent feet altogether, leaping across the room in flight, soaring over his desk and landing in his lap with an elaborately elegant twist and roll that ended with her arms around his neck and her lips pressed hungrily to his.

Lex groaned into her mouth as Diana peppered him with kisses and tongue and fingers caressing every ridge of his head. His arms tightened around her waist into what would have been a death-grip on anyone else, but Diana's breathing didn't falter and Lex decided then and there that sex with an Amazon was going to be insanely more amazing than he'd realized and he'd already been expecting the experience of his life because it would be with his Diana.

And yes, Lex wanted their first time together to be slow and sweet, and it was true that he was yearning to make love to Diana in romantic ways that his old self would have laughed himself to tears at, but Lex wasn't a man who suffered from delusions.

He was quite sure that he would still, from time to time, undoubtedly crave the rougher sex that he was more accustomed to and which he suspected that his fierce warrior princess would not be opposed to on occasion.

But he hadn't really pieced that desire together with the fact of Diana's superior Amazonian strength. He'd been stuck alternating these past few weeks between trying not to think about sex with Diana at all, since he couldn't get over his reluctance to take her, only to swing to the other extreme of jacking himself off to fantasy after fantasy of their first time.

Because, after all, it was going to be Diana's very first time and Lex's anticipation of that event was limitless. He'd been so preoccupied with imagining such a wide variety of scenarios for how it might play out that he hadn't ever bothered to think about their sex life afterwards.

Which he was more than thinking about now as he found himself gripping Diana even harder, relishing the fact that holy fuck, he could probably be as ferally rough with her as he wanted to be, because it wouldn't hurt her a bit. Hell, he'd only be able to pin her down if she let him, anyway, but knowing that he could hold and squeeze and fuck her as hard as his body was able, with every possessive bone in his body?

Providing that Diana liked it, of course, but Lex's boner was proving that his princess more than liked what he was doing so far, because she had started gasping into his mouth and writhing on his lap when he'd grabbed onto her tighter and she was holding him tighter, too, but cautiously, not wanted to accidentally hurt him, Lex realized.

And in that instant Lex's heart clenched in pity.

"What's wrong?" Diana said, drawing back from his lips.

Lex looked at her wordlessly for a minute, his eyes starting to take on a sheen.

"Lex?" Diana said with some nervous concern, sliding her hands from the back of his head to his shoulders.

"What is it?" she said, a crease line appearing between her blue eyes.

"You're always going to have to hold back, aren't you?" Lex asked her in a raspy voice that had nothing to do with how turned on he'd been, and still was, to some extent, and everything to do with how his heart had just broken a little bit for his woman.

Diana's eyes went wide at Lex's question. She bit her lip and looked down.

"It'll be ok," she said quietly. "I won't mind."

"I mind," Lex said brokenly, reaching gentle hands up now to brush her hair back from her flushed face.

"I'd rather it was me who had to restrain himself," he murmured honestly, tilting her chin back up to look at him.

"It'll still be good," Diana insisted bravely. "Lois and Clark manage."

Lex sighed.

"I don't want you to have to just manage," he said, sliding his hands back down to her shoulders and then lower to her waist again, but tenderly this time.

"Here I was thinking how lucky I was, that nothing would hurt you, and not even thinking about how careful you'll have to be with me," Lex said miserably.

"Oh, is that what you were thinking of?" Diana said coyly. "Because I have to say, having Lex Luthor unleash the full measure of his passion on me is a very appealing thought," she said, leaning forward to kiss his jaw.

"_I_ thought so," Lex murmured, albeit with a little sigh.

"I could tell," Diana whispered playfully, wiggling her hips the tiniest bit over his still hard cock jutting up against her thighs as she sat draped across his lap, making Lex groan, although he made no effort to displace her.

"I want sex to be so good for you, baby," Lex said, rubbing the small of her back while looking sad and concerned.

"It will be," Diana said confidently.

Lex sighed morosely but didn't say anything. Diana sighed, too, and palmed his cheeks.

"Correct me if I'm wrong," she said, "because I am not the one out of the two of us with any partnered sexual experience, but every time two people have sex, it's not always wham, bam, as-fast-and-hard-as-you-can, is it?" she asked him with a little teasing smile.

"Well, no," Lex admitted begrudgingly. "But you should get to experience sex that way sometimes," he argued against the injustice of the universe that had allowed an Amazon to fall in love with a mere mortal.

Diana pursed her lips.

"Well, I mean, there are probably workarounds we can figure out," she said slowly.

Lex raised a slow, intrigued eyebrow.

"Like what?" he said, and it was not Diana's imagination that his cock twitched against her leg.

"Dildos?" she said making Lex sputter and cough and get a little red in the face.

Which he really fucking should not, considering what an impressive toy collection he owned, but to hear the word dildo come out of Diana's mouth…

"I mean," Diana said, warming up to the conversation, "you could use them on me so we'd still be having sex together," she said thoughtfully.

"Although, I might break your arm," she murmured pensively.

"We could rig them up to something super sturdy instead and you could watch? Or touch me other places at the same time?" she said, and Lex had to pause and ponder, because sure, there _were_ a large variety of sex machines out there in the adult toy market, and it shouldn't be hard at all to adapt one for Diana's strength… and that would be super fucking hot to watch her use one… hm…

"And maybe there's some kind of super strength armor we could get made for you!" Diana was going on, really getting on a roll now.

"With a super strength cock sleeve attached?" Lex said dryly, but Diana nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes!" she said. "That's a fantastic idea, Lex," she beamed at him.

"And you're so good at inventing things," Diana said seductively, sliding a sensual hand along his bald head again.

"I bet you could make us sex armor, couldn't you?" she practically purred in his ear before planting a sexy kiss onto his cheek.

It was not often that Lex Luthor found himself speechless, but this was about to become one of those times if he didn't get himself back together. And quickly.

"I… believe I could," he said, clearing his throat.

Of course he could. He was Lex Luthor.

"LexCorp can branch out into sex toys," Diana said cheerfully. "Instead of weapons. You need new markets to conquer," she pointed out. "We can make toys catering specifically to aliens and meta-humans and their fragile, breakable partners."

And Lex had to laugh long and hard from his belly, because not only was Diana Prince sweet, innocent, and utterly charming, but she was also sexy as fuck and not ashamed to own it.

"I'm going to make quite the businesswoman out of you," Lex said when he managed to catch his breath, surprised to find the constricting pains in his heart easing up under Diana's giggling but pragmatic solutions to a logistical dilemma that had swiftly and utterly depressed him.

Diana gasped as an idea hit her.

"Lois and Clark can be some of our testers!" she crowed.

And Lex lost it, laughing so hard at the idea of the Boy Scout using sex toys that tears came out of his eyes.

"Diana," he managed to wheeze out, "you are my sexy, sexy villainess, and I love it," he said, still shaking with laughter.

Diana smiled sweetly at him.

"Nonsense," she said. "I'm trying to make the world a better place for everyone. And better sex is part of that," she nodded firmly.

"Damn straight it is," Lex growled, pulling her forward into a long, searing kiss that made his cock jealous of his tongue.

_Soon, _he promised himself. _Four more days. _

He could last that long. Especially with his catalog of new fantasies about Diana that were suddenly cramming every corner of his brain with sexy goodness.

Being Diana's first was going to be amazing, make no mistake. But being her future as she took him careening into playful new frontiers? That was going to be best of all, Lex decided.


	36. Chapter 36

_**Chapter 36**_

Clark groaned and began to groggily stir in bed next to Lois just as the sunset was beginning to fade outside of the beveled window in Bruce's guest bedroom.

Lois, who was still typing away on her latest _Daily Planet _articles, immediately set her laptop aside and leaned over.

"Honey?" Lois said softly, reaching a gentle hand out to stroke Clark's forehead.

"Are you waking up, baby?" she asked him, unable to completely mask the worry in her voice.

Clark let out a long, aggrieved moan.

"I finally understand what Ma meant when she talked about feeling as limp as a wet noodle," he mumbled with his eyes still closed.

Lois chuckled quietly, relieved that he could make a joke.

"Well, you didn't quite sleep a full twenty-four hours," she said, continuing to brush her fingers through Clark's hair, "but you'll be glad you woke up in time for dinner. Alfred said he's making your favorite."

"How does he know what my favorite is?" Clark muttered, peeking out under a single eyelid.

Lois's eyes sparkled.

"Butler magic, I'm sure," she said with great delight. "He had my Arbuckle's coffee _in his pantry_, Clark!"

"What?" Clark said, raising both eyebrows now and looking at Lois with two still-sleepy eyes. "That's from Arizona, isn't it?" he asked her. "The special cowboy brand?"

"Yes!" Lois said. "He's sneakier and better prepared than Batman, Clark," she said in awe.

"I saved you a few cinnamon rolls, by the way," she added with a grin. "Eating them fresh was heaven. We're going to have to get Bruce to invite us over more often."

Clark snorted.

"Won't happen," he said confidently. "Unless I get hit with kryptonite again."

"Don't you dare," Lois said firmly. "Besides, all we need to do is utilize some investigative journalist backdoor tactics."

"You're going to butter up Alfred," Clark said immediately, the corners of his mouth crinkling in an amused grin as he considered how that might play out.

Because Lois had no idea that Alfred was quite scared of her. She might find it harder than anticipated to get an invite back from the deviously attentive butler, Clark thought. But he'd let his fiancée find that out on her own. This was one rodeo that Clark had no intention of riding in.

"I'm going to butter up Alfred _and _Shayera," Lois said with a cunning gleam in her eye. "And I have the perfect excuse to come over - oh, shit," she said, suddenly remembering what Clark had slept through.

"What?" Clark said with concern, worried at Lois's sudden shift in mood.

Lois knotted her hands in the bedsheets.

"Diana's decided to marry Lex on Friday," she said in dismay.

"This Friday?" Clark said, his mouth falling open slightly.

"Yes," Lois said, twisting the sheets as her stomach roiled with anxiety. "For no good reason that I can see. I even spoke to Lex this afternoon and he was just as vague about it as Diana."

"You talked to Lex?" Clark said, now really agog.

Lois sighed.

"He wanted to call to check on you," she muttered. "So he said."

"Well, that was nice," Clark said, feeling oddly touched by Lex's gesture.

Life was so funny sometimes, he thought to himself. How enemies could turn around and become allies. And maybe even friends. It just goes to show, he thought, that it never paid to write somebody off. People could be full of surprises.

But Lois was frowning.

"It was nice if he meant it," she sulked. "Not so nice if he set you up to get hurt so he could play the hero," she growled.

"Lois!" Clark said, truly shocked. "Why would you even think such a thing?"

"Because he moved the wedding date up!" Lois said in frustration. "Why did he do that, Clark? Neither he nor Diana could give me a good reason! It makes me wonder if he was buttering _us _up so we wouldn't freak out about it and try to make Diana see reason. I don't trust him, Clark!" Lois let out in a burst of stress and worry.

"And Batman was suspicious, too," she added significantly.

"Bruce is suspicious of everybody," Clark said gently, reaching out to rub Lois's arm. "That doesn't necessarily mean anything."

Lois huffed out a huge breath of air.

"But Lex was evasive, Clark," she said, "when I asked him why they were pushing the wedding up so soon. Why wouldn't he just give the reason to me straight if it wasn't something nefarious and he wanted our support? He's up to something," she insisted.

"Maybe the reason is personal," Clark protested with gentle logic. "You certainly wouldn't want to explain to Lex why you weren't ready to get engaged to me sooner. Some things are private, honey," he said, sliding his hand down Lois's arm to squeeze her fingers in his.

"But waiting makes so much more sense than rushing into something," Lois countered. "I'm worried for Diana," she said, frustration making her chest and throat tight.

Clark sighed.

"Diana is going to do what she wants, Lois," he said. "All we can do is be there for her, no matter what happens."

Lois groaned.

"I have to throw the bachelorette party, too," she complained. "Shayera is making me."

"Oh," Clark said, wanting to say that it would be fun, because it sounded fun to him, but he knew that for Lois, it would be the opposite of enjoyable.

"I wonder if someone's throwing Lex a bachelor party," he said instead.

"Clark Kent!" Lois exclaimed, swiveling sideways in bed with her hands on her hips. "Don't you dare!"

"It would give me a chance to spy on him more," Clark pointed out with teasing eyes. "I don't think Lex has a lot of friends, sweetheart, and I probably know him better than most people," Clark said kindly.

Lois made a loud frustrated noise at Clark's puppy dog eyes, which he made so well and were so damn impossible to resist.

"Lois?" Bruce said, knocking on the partially opened bedroom door with Shayera at his side. "Everything ok?"

"No!" Lois snapped. "Clark wants to throw Lex's damned bachelor party for him!"

"He might not have anyone else to throw it," Clark said again, his sweethearted nature shining through his words.

Bruce scoffed loudly and rolled his eyes as Shayera made similar sounds of disgust.

"Lex is an asshole," Bruce said. "It's his own fault if he has no friends."

"Right?" Lois said, nodding in agreement. "You get it," she said approvingly.

"Speaking of which," she continued, "don't you think that Lex is up to something with pushing the wedding date up so fast?"

"Bruce said that earlier!" Shayera grinned at her. "It's pretty suspicious, isn't it," she said cheerfully as she seated herself in Bruce's lap.

"No, it isn't," Clark argued against them with mock despair. "I am surrounded by Suspicious Sallies," he mourned. "Maybe they're just eager and happy," he said in a pleading tone.

"And maybe the moon is made of cheese," Bruce snorted. "As you'd say in Smallville," he smirked at Clark, who had to chuckle with amusement at Bruce's turn of phrase.

"Bet you're glad you woke up for this," Shayera said to Clark with a wink and a smile.

"It does make me want to roll over and go back to sleep," Clark sighed dramatically.

"You can't do that until after dinner," Bruce said. "Alfred's making your favorite."

"That's what Lois said," Clark answered him. "But how could Alfred possibly know what my favorite is?" he asked Bruce doubtfully.

"He has his ways," Bruce said vaguely. "Which I don't ask about," he added with a cheekier grin.

"It's very important not to upset your butler," Shayera nodded seriously. "Butlers are immensely useful inventions."

"Are they, now?" Lois asked dryly.

"We didn't have them on Thanagar," Shayera said as she curled a little closer into Bruce. "One of the only good things about being stuck on Earth forever," she sighed with some genuine bitterness.

Bruce's eyes got a little bit sad. He knew that Shayera had been desperately missing Thanagar and her people ever since being assigned to Earth so many years ago. At first, she'd dealt with her exile by hoping for an eventual reunion and return home, but when she'd finally given up hope, she'd dealt with her sadness by dating John.

When the Thanagarians had appeared after all, at long last, Shayera's grief had grown tenfold after making herself into a voluntary exile by her treacherous rebellion against her people's extermination-based invasion of Earth. Still, she'd at least had the idea of home securely planted in her head as an ideal that still existed.

But when she'd recently learned on a space mission that the Thanagarian homeworld had been destroyed and her people reduced to a few straggling survivors scattered throughout the galaxy, Shayera's grief had slipped into a mind-numbing depression, which hadn't begun to lift until she'd started hanging out with Batman in Gotham City.

Once they'd started dating, Shayera had become happier than Bruce had ever seen her, and even more so since they'd gotten engaged, but Bruce knew that the loss of her people and her home would be a perpetual grief in his Gotham Gargoyle's heart.

But when Shayera looked up at him and saw the empathy in his eyes, she gave him the sweetest smile.

"You're the best thing about being stuck on Earth," she said, wrapping her arms around Bruce's neck to give him a needy kiss, which he swiftly returned with his heart fluttering as much as Shayera's wings.

Lois and Clark's eyes both had gotten soft and sentimental as they watched Shayera interact with Bruce. Lois more for Bruce's sake than for Shayera's, since she was still picking her way into a friendship with the prickly Thanagarian, but Clark's heart was full of equal joy for both of his friends.

They had both been so sad and lonely, and for them to be happy now with each other - it was all that Clark could have ever hoped for them. And Diana was happy, too, although there had been some heartbreak mixed in with her newfound love at first - over Bruce, of course.

Even John and Vixen seemed to be going strong, despite John's lingering feelings for Shayera.

If only J'onn could find happiness somehow, too, Clark thought longingly. Whether it was in a romantic relationship or through friendships. Clark knew that the Martian kept himself so isolated out of grief for his own lost world and friends and - Clark had to assume, although J'onn never discussed them - his family.

But the Kryptonian hoped that his Martian friend would find the strength and courage to fully re-engage with life one day.

Wally, of course, engaged with life to the fullest. He had more friends than anyone Clark had ever met, and a supportive and loving family, and Clark was sure that Wally would eventually find romance, too. He was so young, after all, and there was no need for him to rush into romance like he rushed into everything else, Clark thought with a little smile.

The speedster was happy, and that was the important thing. The lack of a romance didn't appear to trouble him because Wally didn't give the impression that his life was lacking anything. On the contrary, it appeared full to bursting with love and joy on all sides, and Clark couldn't be happier for him.

"How is John doing?" Clark asked.

He'd known that the Green Lantern had gotten knocked out in the fight last night, but beyond that, Clark had been asleep under his solar lights.

"John's awake," Shayera said gratefully. "But there's an odd mystery surrounding what actually happened to him. Bats and Wally and me did some recon work this afternoon back at LoD Headquarters and, well, shit is strange."

"That's an understatement," Bruce grunted.

He gave Lois a look, though, before continuing.

"Maybe you should give us some privacy," he said, not exactly unkindly, but firmly.

"I can do that," Lois said, leaning over to peck Clark's lips before standing up. "I'll see if Alfred needs any help."

"Thanks, honey," Clark said gratefully.

"We wouldn't want me to self-combust," Lois grinned at him before leaving the room.

"Self-combust?" Bruce said, raising an amused eyebrow after the door shut behind the reporter.

"From trying to sit on a scoop," Clark laughed. "Lois's integrity won't let her share League secrets, but her inner reporter can't stand holding in the beans."

"The beans?" Shayera frowned.

"As opposed to spilling them," Clark said.

"What beans?" Shayera persisted.

"The news," Bruce said, squeezing her waist with his arms. "It's Smallville slang," he smirked at Clark, but playfully.

"Oh," Shayera said. "Well, she would have quite a number of beans to hold onto if she'd stayed," she said a little more grimly. "John had a false memory implanted in his head of Sinestro flinging a tree at him and then injecting him with pentothal."

"What?" Clark breathed out in shock.

"It gets better," Bruce said. "A thrown tree was actually staged at the site where the Flash found GL, but Wally used his CSI skills to figure out it was a fake."

"And J'onn said that the memory was planted first, then the tree was staged," Shayera added, "based on the discrepancies between John's implanted memory and what we found at the scene."

"We just found out, too, that all the drug tests came back negative, Bruce said. "Although we had figured as much once we realized that John had a forged memory."

"Who could have done that?" Clark wondered uneasily.

"And done it without leaving any signs of mental trauma," Bruce said, tapping his fingers absent-mindedly on Shayera's leg that was draped over his as she sat in his lap.

"That's what concerns me the most," Bruce said. "If John had been drugged, a clean memory implant would have been more plausible."

"Plus, we still don't know how he got knocked out, if it wasn't drugs or head trauma," Shayera said, drawing her eyebrows together. "Or when, exactly, the memory was implanted."

"You think someone on the Watchtower did it after he was back on the station?" Clark said with surprise.

"We can't rule it out," Bruce grunted. "J'onn is going over all of the internal security cameras right now and double checking staff logs to see if anyone came on board undercover."

"Of course, a League member could have done it, too," Shayera said matter-of-factly.

Clark sighed.

"Who among us would even have the ability to do that?" he asked, pushing himself up in bed to a sitting position as he thought.

"J'onn, obviously," Clark said, "but I don't for one second think that J'onn would turn on us. And he's almost invulnerable to telepathic attack, as strong as his own powers are."

"Doctor Fate, Zatanna," Bruce said, ticking people off on his fingers. "Amazo, given proximity to the right person," he added, referencing the android created by Professor Ivo with the ability to mimic any superpower it encountered.

"Aquaman," Shayera said.

"Aquaman?" Clark said as Bruce turned his head to give her a thoughtful look.

"He's only telepathic with sea life as far as we know," Shayera said. "But we can't rule him out. He might have acquired some technology to allow him to control humans as well. Besides, we were in a swamp," she said. "Lots of water around."

"And he did ask Lex and Diana to steal nukes for him," Clark said slowly.

"Speaking of Lex, though," Bruce said, "he did try to use Amazo against the Justice League when he first found him. Perhaps he managed to build a duplicate?"

Clark stared at Bruce.

"What is it with you and Lois suspecting Lex of foul play all of a sudden?" he asked him with some annoyance. "Lex literally just saved my life."

"That could have been a setup," Shayera said, making Clark do a very un-Clark like eye roll, accompanied by a frustrated scoff of irritation.

"You weren't there," Clark snapped. "Neither of you were. It was just me and Lex and I promise you, it was not a set-up. Lex was panicked that I was going to die. And I almost did," he said angrily.

"If you're comfortable crossing J'onn off your list of suspects, then you need to cross Lex off, too," Clark almost snarled.

"Easy, Supes," Shayera said in a soothing voice. "We're not trying to get your feathers ruffled."

"We have to consider every possibility," Bruce said in a maddeningly rational tone of voice.

"And speak for yourself about eliminating J'onn as a suspect," Bruce said. "As far as I'm concerned, J'onn is very much a suspect."

"You're unbelievable," Clark said, staring at him. "You honestly suspect J'onn of turning against us?"

Bruce shrugged.

"No more or less than anyone else at this point. We don't have enough evidence yet to eliminate anyone who possesses telepathic powers."

Clark made a gurgling noise like he was trying to speak, but couldn't get anything out.

"It's not personal, Superman," Shayera tried to assure him. "It's an investigation. Bias and assumptions lead away from the truth, not towards it."

Clark took a deep breath and let it out before speaking.

"I prefer a little bias to suspecting my friends of turning against us."

Shayera raised her eyebrow.

"You do realize your friend the traitor is sitting right here," she said pointedly.

Clark calmly shrugged.

"You do realize that my faith in you wasn't misplaced, was it?" he said back to her. "Evidenced by the fact that we all are, in fact, sitting right here together on a still very much intact Planet Earth, thanks to our friend Shayera Hol doing the right thing and standing up for us in the end."

Shayera sighed. Bruce grunted.

"Your heartstrings are a liability, Clark," he said to him. "Friends can be turned without having malicious intent towards us. Threaten something they hold dear, convince them that despite appearances they're working for our benefit and the greater good, use mind control against them… being a friend doesn't exempt a person from being used as a weapon against us."

"As evidenced by Shayera," Bruce added with more snark, although he squeezed her hips affectionately as he said it, making her grin.

Clark shook his head.

"I'll help you however I can with the investigation," he said, "but I'm going to leave the mistrust of our friends up to you two."

"Don't tell John what we talked about," Bruce said, sliding Shayera off of his lap as they both stood up. "He can't know that his memory is false if we're going to catch who did this to him."

"That much, I agree with," Clark said tiredly.

"Don't worry so much," Shayera said consolingly as she and Bruce headed towards the door. "We'll figure this out. Detective Batman and Watson the Warrior are on the case."

"Watson the Warrior?" Clark mumbled to himself as he heard Bruce and Shayera greet a returning Lois in the hallway.

"You finished just in time for dinner," Lois said cheerfully, coming into the room carrying a tray with two silver cloche-covered plates.

"So this is supposedly my favorite, huh?" Clark teased her as she sat down beside him.

"No supposedly about it," Lois grinned. "Look and see."

Clark lifted the cover and a pleased smile lit up his face.

"Chicken pot pie!" he said. "That was very thoughtful of Alfred. However he figured it out," he smiled.

"I mean," he said as he gently broke the pastry crusted top open with his spoon and scooped up a steaming portion, "my absolute favorite is Ma's, but I'm sure Alfred's will be good, too," he said.

Lois didn't answer but watched him as he gently blew on his spoon before lifting it into his mouth.

Clark froze.

He cautiously chewed and swallowed before giving Lois a dumbfounded look.

"How…" he slowly rasped out in shock. "How did he get Ma's secret recipe?" he whispered. "Ma said that even I wouldn't get it until she died because the only written copy she made of it is the one she wrote into her will for me."

"He's Alfred," Lois said, shaking her head. "I think it would be safest not to ask questions."

Clark gave her a stupefied look.

"Since when does Lois Lane not ask questions?" he said to her.

"Since learning that Alfred apparently has mystical powers that are not of this world," she answered him. "I've decided that blind gratitude is the way to go," she said.

"Aren't you the slightest bit curious, though?" Clark prodded her, taking another spoonful of chicken pot pie and moaning in delight as he placed it into his watering mouth.

Lois glanced at him sideways.

"Do you think our _favorite_ things are the only things he knows about us?" she said very seriously.

"Oh, God," Clark said in sudden horror.

Lois nodded.

"Exactly," she said.

Clark decided to sit quietly, clear his mind, and eat his favorite pot pie.

Which was darn delicious.


	37. Chapter 37

_**Chapter 37**_

"How are you feeling?" Diana asked Lex as she landed her invisible plane in the ocean a few miles off the coast of Themyscira.

Lex grimaced.

"More nervous than I have been since childhood," he said with an uncharacteristic amount of discomfort.

Diana's eyes were sympathetic as she unbuckled her seatbelt.

"It'll be ok," she assured her fiancé. "Well, I hope," she amended.

"What I mean to say is, I'll protect you no matter what," she finally finished somewhat lamely.

Lex gave her a pathetically dismal look.

"You are not inspiring my confidence," he said.

"Well," Diana said, leaning over to trace her hand on Lex's chest, "my mother can be difficult at times," she admitted, wrinkling her nose.

"I don't want to give you false hope," she said apologetically.

"Wonderful," Lex sighed. "Who knew that my arch-nemesis wouldn't be Superman, in the end, but my mother-in-law?"

Diana giggled.

"Isn't that how it is for everyone?" she said playfully. "I've overheard some conversations on the Watchtower, you know."

"Mm," Lex murmured, snatching her hand up for a kiss. "But everyone's mother-in-law is not Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons," he said, nuzzling Diana's palm against his mouth.

"True," Diana smiled as Lex pressed little kisses to her skin which made the most delightful butterflies take flight in her stomach. And… lady parts.

She curled her fingertips around Lex's face in a caress and sighed.

"Four more days," she murmured happily.

"Four more days," Lex sighed, releasing her hand with a final kiss.

"Go butter up her Majesty," he said reluctantly.

"I'll do my best," Diana said as a malevolent swarm of bees began to buzz out an angry tango in her nerves.

The princess took a deep breath and opened the jet door.

"At least my mother can't fly," she said to herself quietly before she took off.

Lex's eyebrows shot up in concern.

"Diana?" he said nervously, but she was already gone.

Lex let out a frustrated, anxious breath and looked over at the very lovely red and yellow Psychopsis Mariposa Greek orchid he'd brought as a gift for the Queen as well as the bottle of rare Malagouzia Greek wine.

He wasn't sure what the formal protocol was for courting Amazonian royalty and Diana had been equally stumped when they'd discussed it the night before.

"I'm the only princess on Themyscira," she'd said, furrowing her brow, "and the only child who has ever been born on the island. We don't have mothers and families in the traditional sense."

"Do you have weddings?" Lex asked her curiously.

"Oh, bonding ceremonies, certainly," Diana had said. "If a couple wants to be eternally joined. That's fairly rare, though," she'd said. "There's only so many Amazons to go around," she had smiled, "and not everyone wants to be monogamous. Open relationships are much more common on Themyscira than they are in man's world."

"You weren't expecting us to have an open relationship, were you?" Lex had asked her worriedly, not at all liking the sudden sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach at the realization that monogamy between him and Diana had been implied, but never openly discussed.

"Of course not!" Diana had said in shock, quickly putting Lex's mind at ease.

"I've always loved the idea of finding one special person to belong to," Diana had said with a soft smile, wrapping her arms around his neck, "and, well, I'd just assumed that was what you wanted, too," she said.

"I couldn't picture Lex Luthor sharing what was his," she'd giggled.

"I don't," Lex had growled before kissing her possessively.

"Good," Diana had said, kissing him right back.

"Because I don't share, either," she warned him with a playfully ferocious look before dissolving into more giggles and kisses.

Lex smiled fondly at the memory as he sat in Diana's jet while it bobbed up and down on the ocean waves.

As if he wouldn't kill everyone on the planet before he'd share Diana, he mused. It was indeed fortunate that Diana was single-minded in her love.

And as for himself, well, after one has tasted the nectar of the gods, how could mere mortal fare satisfy, Lex thought contentedly. Give him Diana for the rest of his life, and he'd be a happy man.

"Diana!" Euboea cried as she shook the water from her hair and saw the Amazon princess flying in towards the beach.

"Euboea!" Diana said happily, reaching out to embrace her friend as soon as she landed despite the woman being soaked from her swim in the ocean.

"It's so good to see you," Diana said warmly, feeling a hollow ache in her chest at how long it had been since she and Euboea had raced each other in long laps around the island.

Diana had never once been able to beat the champion swimmer, but she had always enjoyed trying and sometimes, especially when Diana had been a young girl, Euboea had even let the princess think that she had a chance at snatching the victory.

Diana had been greatly amused when she realized as a teenager that she fell further behind her teacher in their races every year, instead of gaining on her as she'd expected that she would with age and training.

"What brings you here, sister?" Euboea asked with some concern. "Not trouble, I hope?" she said.

"No," Diana said. "Well," she paused. "My mother might think so," she sighed. "But nothing is amiss, sister. That I promise you."

"Good," her friend replied. "The Queen will be glad to see you," the Amazon smiled. "She misses you," the woman said. "We all do," she added.

"As do I miss all of you," Diana sighed. "But…" she trailed off, biting her lip.

"It is difficult to be a visitor of Themyscira instead of a resident," Euboea intuited.

Diana gave a sheepish smile.

"Yes," she said. "I know it was my will to leave, but women in man's world are not the same as my sisters here," she sighed ruefully. "Sometimes, I feel very alone."

"In that case, I hope you plan to stay for a good, long visit," Euboea smiled, but Diana flushed.

"No," she said slowly, worrying her lip. "I'm afraid I can't this time."

"Diana!" her friend chided her. "Man's world can do without you for a little while, I'm sure."

"It's not that," Diana hedged, thinking of Lex out at sea in her plane.

"I will tell you the reason, Euboea," Diana promised, "but I must speak of it to my mother first," the princess said.

"As you wish, your Highness," her friend said formally with a bow of her head.

Diana internally groaned.

She didn't want to offend Euboea or put on royal airs, but her mother would cast her only daughter down to Hades himself if Diana broke the news of her impending nuptials to anyone else before informing the queen.

"Will you walk with me to the city?" Diana asked her friend, but Euboea shook her head.

"I will dry off from my swim in the sun," she said. "May Hera smile on you, sister," she intoned.

"And on you as well," Diana smiled before turning inland.

She wouldn't have minded walking the distance to her mother's residence if her friend had wished to prolong their visit; it would have been pleasant to take in the once-familiar scenery and scents of home, but Diana did hate to keep Lex waiting any longer than necessary, so she took off into the air again and flew towards the city center.

Heads lifted and hands were waved with hearty shouts of welcome as Diana flew over various clumps of Amazons scattered across the island, and by the time she reached her mother's home, the Queen had heard of her daughter's approach and was waiting for her on the veranda.

"Diana!" Hippolyta said with pleasure. "Nothing is amiss, I hope?"

"All is well, Mother," Diana said carefully, alighting gracefully and bowing before her queen before pulling her mother into a warm hug.

"Philippus will have seen you and be on her way home," Hippolyta said with a smile. "I'll put the kettle on and our tea shall be ready by the time she arrives."

"Of course, Mother," Diana said obediently, knowing better than to offend the queen by rushing into her business, despite her wish to hurry.

"Are you and Philippus well?" Diana asked as her mother led her into the pillared, open air courtyard in the center of their home where a small fire was burning brightly on a stone altar.

"Quite well," Hippolyta said as she pumped water into the kettle before setting it on the coals. "We were expecting you, in fact," she said.

"Oh?" Diana said curiously as she raised her eyebrows.

"Queen Mera paid us a visit last week," Hippolyta said. "To inform us of the Atlanteans agreement to hold half of the nuclear codes for the Justice League's new cache of weapons."

"Yes," Diana said very, very slowly, praying that Mera hadn't gossiped about her relationship with Lex.

"I brought the other half of the codes with me, hoping that you would agree to be their custodian," Diana said, removing them from the cross-body pouch in which she'd carried them.

"Of course I shall," her mother graciously proclaimed as she took the paper from Diana.

"Would that I could hold all of the world's nuclear weapon codes in my hands and destroy that vile threat to the Earth forever," the queen smiled as she glanced down at the sheet before casting the paper into the fire.

"Mother!" Diana exclaimed in horror.

Hippolyta gave her a sly look.

"That was the only copy, was it not?" she asked her daughter.

"Yes!" Diana said, staring at the crumbling paper being licked to death by greedy flames.

"So the weapons are now permanently disabled," the queen smiled smugly.

Diana groaned.

"What is the Justice League going to say?" she half-whined, lifting her hands to her hair as the final bits of paper turned to ash.

"Tone, Little One," her mother scolded with a frown.

Diana drew herself up with a start and bowed her head as she quickly lowered her hands to her sides.

"Forgive me, Mother," Diana said obediently.

Hippolyta tsk'd.

"You have forgotten how to be a princess, living apart from us," the queen nagged. "We have standards, Little One."

"Yes, Mother," Diana murmured, with her eyes still cast down. "I will do better."

"See that you do," her mother said. "You are not only Wonder Woman when you are in man's world; you are also a representative of all Amazons here on Themyscira. The world will always be watching and forming judgments of us based on your actions, Diana."

"Yes, Mother," Diana repeated, sighing on the inside.

"Why such long faces?" the two women heard a playful voice say from the edge of the courtyard.

"Pippa!" Diana exclaimed, raising her head and smiling with pleasure at the appearance of her mother's lover, who, while not quite allowed by the queen to act as a second mother to Diana, was at the very least something of an aunt and most definitely closer family to Diana than anyone else on the island.

"Dear Diana, you have returned to us!" Philippus said with a bright smile, coming over to embrace the carefully restrained princess before walking over to Hippolyta and lifting her lover's hand to her mouth for a tender kiss.

And Diana found that there was a sudden lump in her throat, because Philippus and Hippolyta had never before refrained from the open affection of mouth kisses and cuddling when it was just them and Diana at home.

Royal rules of formality don't apply to familial affection behind closed doors, the queen used to instruct Diana when she was a child and Hippolyta and Philippus her nuclear family.

But here was Philippus restraining herself to a formal kiss on the queen's hand, and with an ease of movement that pierced Diana's heart, because Philippus hadn't even paused to consider Diana's status.

The Amazon princess was now an outsider, pure and simple.

Diana swallowed hard to keep back the tears as her mother poured the tea from the boiling kettle.

"I have some personal news," Diana said once they all had been served and seated on the low wooden stools situated around the hearth.

"I don't know if Mera might have mentioned it…" Diana said hesitantly.

Hippolyta looked blankly curious.

"Her Majesty mentioned nothing aside from the arrangement with the nuclear weapons," the queen said, which unfurled at least a little of the tension in Diana's stomach.

"Well," Diana said, forcing herself to smile confidently even though her insides were churning.

"I've fallen in love and decided to get married," she said as brightly as she could.

Hippolyta and Philippus stared at Diana in silence for a stunned moment.

"Little One!" her mother breathed out in the same moment that Philippus squealed "Diana!" and clapped her hands.

"What wonderful news!" Philippus said, jumping to her feet and rushing over most gracelessly to kiss Diana's cheek.

"Isn't it wonderful, my Queen?" Pippa asked Hippolyta with a significant look, because the queen looked like she was having trouble breathing properly.

Hippolyta took a few deep breaths before answering.

"Yes," she said finally in a tone of voice that meant just the opposite.

"Yes, wonderful news," the queen repeated with just the slightest tremor in her voice and a forced, properly polite smile on her face.

"And who is the lucky lady, little one?" Hippolyta said, gripping her mug so tightly that her knuckles began to turn white. "When will you be bringing her to the island so that we can meet her?" she said, the corners of her smiling mouth tight with tension.

Diana felt her insides die.

_Oh. _

_Hera._

"Actually," Diana said, pushing the words out without hesitation like the princess she was, "I fell in love with a man, mother."

Philippus's breath audibly caught in her throat.

Hippolyta's royal jaw actually dropped.

"A… _man…?_" she whispered, like she didn't understand the definition of the word.

"Yes," Diana said bravely. "A man," she squeaked as Hippolyta slammed her mug down and stormed to her feet in a most unmajestic manner.

The queen turned her back sharply on Diana and briskly strode over to stand at the far edge of the courtyard, where she shoved a hand into her perfectly coiffed hair.

Diana felt her eyes go wide in panic. She gulped and stared helplessly at Philippus, who also looked shocked but, perhaps, thankfully, slightly amused as well.

"A man," they heard Hippolyta muttering to herself. "A _man. My _child. Princess of the Amazons!A_ MAN, Hera!" _they heard her quietly screech.

Overhead, a seagull cawed.

"Pippa," Diana whispered urgently. "Help. Please."

Philippus chuckled softly.

"I value my life, Princess," she replied, gazing fondly at her partner who had begun taking short, stalking steps to and fro while continuing her not-quite-silent rant.

Diana groaned and rubbed her forehead.

"He's here," she murmured to Philippus. "In my plane out at sea," she said. "I want to bring Mother out to meet him. And you, too, of course."

Philippus gave her a wry look.

"That might be better saved for a later date, Diana," the woman said with a note of warning in her voice.

Diana folded her arms over the growing knots in her stomach.

"We're getting married on Friday," the princess whispered.

"Friday!" Philippus yelped, her eyes popping open wide.

"What's on Friday?" Hippolyta snapped from across the way, redirecting her attention to her partner.

"Diana is getting married on _Friday_," Pippa said in disbelief as she staggered to her feet and went to ally herself by Hippolyta's side, looking warily at Diana, who she feared was about to find herself re-exiled from Themyscira.

"You're getting married in four days and are just now informing me of that fact, Daughter?" the queen raged with daggers flashing out of her eyes.

"It happened very quickly," Diana said as penitently as she could. "We were going to wait until next year, but then, well, we didn't want to anymore," she mumbled.

"Hera, help us!" Hippolyta exhaled in frustration, looking skyward for a moment. "How did I fail you, oh great Hera, that you have cursed me with such a wretched child!" she cried dramatically, stretching her arms up to the heavens.

"Mother, please!" Diana protested. "Lex loves me very much and I've never been happier."

"Lex?" her mother burst out, pinning Diana with eyes sharper than Antiope's spears.

"Not Lex _Luthor…?_" her mother gasped in dismay.

"Yes," Diana said, standing to her feet and gathering her courage. "He's waiting in my jet to meet you, Mother, and I would appreciate if you would let me fly you out to him," Diana said with great dignity.

"And we hope that both you and Philippus will attend our wedding on Friday. It would mean the world to me to have you there," she added more wistfully.

Hippolyta glared menacingly at Diana.

"Do you know," she said in a suddenly chilly voice. "I do believe that I _would_ like to meet this Lex Luthor, who thinks that he shall marry _my daughter,_" her mother said in clipped tones.

"Let us proceed to your jet, Diana," the queen commanded.

"Philippus can come, too," Diana said but Philippus was backing up with her hands lifted and a smirk even as Hippolyta frowned.

"Pippa's presence will not be necessary," the queen sniffed. "Come along, Little One," she said, clapping her hands briskly.

"Pick me up and take me to this _Lex. Luthor_," Hippolyta spat in her haughtiest tone.

"Yes, Mother," Diana mumbled, hanging her head bashfully as she moved behind the queen to pick her up under her arms before lifting them off into the air.

_I'm sorry, Lex, _Diana thought miserably as she flew across what her nerves had decided was far too short of a distance to the jet where her fiancé was waiting with trepidation to meet his soon-to-be mother-in-law.

* * *

_A/N Updates are moving to bi-weekly due to the number of other projects I'm working on. Good news, though, that means "Mourning Mother's Day" will update more frequently as well as more short stories being posted. _

_Thanks for reading! You can follow me on Tumblr as River9Noble_


	38. Chapter 38

_A/N Trigger warning - Incidents of rape and attempted rape are briefly, non-graphically mentioned. None of the rapes have to do with Lex or Diana. If you want to skip that part, stop reading when Hippolyta starts to explain Diana's origin story. _

* * *

_**Chapter 38**_

"Ah! Your Majesty," Lex said, rising to his feet as soon as the jet door opened to greet his arriving mother-in-law.

A frowning Hippolyta was carefully set on her feet by a very distraught looking Diana who, behind her mother's eyes, was mouthing an apology to Lex.

Hm. An unpleasant wrinkle, Lex thought, but he wasn't Lex Luthor for nothing.

"It is an honor to meet you, ma'am," Lex said, bowing deeply from the waist to the cold-eyed queen.

"If only the same could be said for you, Lex Luthor," Queen Hippolyta sniffed, failing to extend her hand in greeting.

"But alas! My foolish daughter has cast her heart away not only on a _man_ -" Lex's eyebrow quirked - "but on the most deplorable man on the planet," Hippolyta mourned with great theatrics.

"I strive to be the best at everything I do," Lex said with a twinkle in his eye. "It's my life's guiding principle, if you will," he said with a smirk.

"I have been the greatest villain in the world," he said grandly, adding in a hand flourish for good measure, "and now I shall become the earth's greatest arbiter of peace and clean energy," he declared.

Hippolyta sniffed in a manner suspiciously similar to a snort. Diana sighed.

"Won't you sit?" Lex asked the queen with great charm, motioning to one of the passenger seats with his arm as ostentatiously as if it were a throne.

Hippolyta glared at him for a moment, but, whether it was because of the bobbing of the jet in the ocean waves as it floated off-shore from Themyscira or because of her intention to berate Lex at great length, for many hours, she reluctantly deigned to sit.

Diana's anxious eyes met Lex's amused ones as she made her way to the pilot's seat while he took the co-pilot's chair, both of them spinning around to face her mother.

"May I offer your Majesty a token of my respect for your person and of my allegiance to your daughter," Lex intoned with appropriately formal dignity, bending down to pick up the Greek orchid and wine from beside his seat and extending them to Queen Hippolyta with a beatific smile.

Hippolyta was many things, but she was royalty above all. Queens had strict behavioral protocols and traditions that must be adhered to, Hades be cursed, so as much as it displeased her Majesty to accept gifts from Lex Luthor, she could not find it within herself to repel his offering.

"How kind of you," she said, however, in a voice dryer than Mars before inspecting the items more closely.

"Hera!" Hippolyta said in surprise. "This is Malagouzia wine," she said, raising an eyebrow at Lex.

"An ancient variety, by my understanding," Lex said smoothly. "Recently put back into production," he added with a smile as he opened the picnic basket at his feet and extracted three wine glasses, which he passed to Diana's waiting hands.

Diana was watching the interactions between her fiancé and her mother with baited breath as her stomach churned with greater agitation than the ocean waves that her jet rested upon.

"I'd be happy to pour," Lex said graciously to the queen, who briefly wrestled within herself before sighing.

"I accept your generous hospitality," Hippolyta declared somewhat sullenly, passing the bottle of wine back to Lex.

"How long has it been since you've had Malagouzia, Mother?" Diana asked her as Lex uncorked the bottle.

Hippolyta shot her daughter a sour glance.

"Millennia," the queen said shortly, fingering the petals of the orchid with a look of pleased recognition on her face that her irritation at Lex and her daughter could not quite manage to dispel.

"This is a Greek variety as well, is it not?" the queen asked Lex as she accepted the full wine glass that Diana passed to her.

"Indeed it is," Lex smiled.

The queen narrowed her eyes at her future son-in-law.

"And do you suppose that my blessing on your ill-fated union with my daughter can be purchased with a few choice and familiar tokens from days gone by?" Hippolyta said, nonetheless very carefully setting the orchid aside before savoring her first mouthful of wine.

"Not at all," Lex breezed. "But I would not be so crass as to arrive empty-handed to greet your Majesty," he said with a smile.

Now," Lex said to the queen after serving both Diana and himself with glasses of wine, "how can I ease your mind about the purity of my intentions towards your daughter?" he asked briskly, suddenly slipping into boardroom mode.

Diana noticed and felt her breathing become a mite easier.

Lex could win her mother over. Certainly he could. He won billion dollar business negotiations every day. Surely he could persuade her mother that they were in love and that he was reforming, thereby securing not only her mother's blessing but her presence at their wedding.

Surely Lex could.

_Hera. _

Diana gulped a mouthful of wine down as her mother looked Lex over like he was a tiny lizard who had dared to crawl into her palatial home from the island wilds where he belonged. Diana didn't want to think about what happened to those lizards.

"Seeing as how you're a man," Hippolyta drawled with careless regality, "I don't see how you can do anything at all to 'ease my mind,' as you so quaintly put it," she said with an affected disinterest.

Lex, who hitherto had appeared very much in control of their royal tête-à-tête, suddenly appeared genuinely befuddled.

"The fact that I'm a man is more concerning to you than the fact that I'm Lex Luthor?" he said to the queen in horrified disbelief as the corners of his mouth twitched.

"Yes," the queen coolly replied.

Lex's mouth dropped open and he turned to Diana.

"Do you know, I believe I'm offended by that," he said to her with great delight sparkling in his eyes.

Diana had to bite her lip so that she wouldn't laugh.

"I am _Lex. Luthor_," Lex stressed to Queen Hippolyta with great affront as he turned back to stare her Majesty down.

"Greatest villain the world has ever known!" Lex showboated. "Evil genius! Mastermind of destruction! And you're telling me that all of the notoriety I have achieved in thirty-eight short years pales in comparison next to my _gender?_" he cried in despair, raising his voice at the end of his rant in a manner that Sophocles would have applauded.

"That is indeed what I have said," Queen Hippolyta calmly confirmed, sipping on her most delectable glass of wine with growing contentment in her taste buds, if not in her daughter's choice of lifemate.

"You are a man," Hippolyta said to Lex dismissively, flicking her fingers as if he was a mote of dust.

"And as a man," Hippolyta said, warming to her topic, "you are entirely unworthy of my daughter Diana - Bearer of the Lariat of Hestia, Bound by the Gauntlets of Aegis, Shod with the Sandals of Hermes -"

" - Mother," Diana tried vainly to protest, dropping her head to her hand as Lex's shoulders silently began to shake.

" - Crowned with the Tiara of Antiope," Hippolyta continued unperturbed, "Girded with the Armor of Athena, Entrusted with the Sword of Hephaestus, her Royal Highness, Princess of the Amazons!" Hippolyta finished majestically.

There was a pause where Lex fully expected a clap of thunder to resound from the heavens, but silence fell as Hippolyta's words finished ringing around the tiny interior of Diana's jet. Diana appeared caught in a battle between embarrassment and a fit of giggles if the hand clamped firmly over her mouth and her bright red cheeks were to be believed.

Lex regarded the triumphantly superior Queen Hippolyta thoughtfully for a moment before he spoke.

"I won't deny that I am unworthy of Diana," Lex said gravely, causing Diana's head to pop up from her hand and swivel to him with disagreement in her eyes.

Hippolyta arched an elegant eyebrow.

"Hell, I've been trying to convince Diana from the start that she can do better," Lex said with a self-deprecating smile to the queen, "but the princess refuses to let me go," he said quietly, glancing over at his fiancée with a wry grin.

"Lex," Diana chastised softly with pleading eyes. "You're not unworthy," she murmured, reaching a hand out to cup his cheek.

"I am," Lex insisted. "I know it. Your mother knows it -"

\- he gave Hippolyta a wink, which made her purse her lips up -

\- "and you know it, too, Diana, even if you won't admit it," Lex said, looking at her with regretfully honest eyes.

"I will never admit that you don't deserve me," Diana said earnestly, reaching out to grip Lex's hand with both of hers. "You have a good heart underneath all the things you've done in the past," she said.

"And you're changing so much for me," she added encouragingly, staring up at him with the same sweetly innocent doe-eyes that had so enraptured him a few short weeks ago on the dance floor when his princess had turned his world upside down and inside out with her bold claim on his heart.

Lex held Diana's gaze for a long minute, lost in her glowing adoration and naive belief in his potential goodness, which did feel nice to receive from her, even if Lex knew how deeply stained his soul truly was, and the wonder that a being of such beautiful goodness was willing - but not merely willing, fiercely determined, in fact - to unite herself with his own excruciating unworthiness made Lex's throat tight and his eyes wet.

"You see?" Lex finally sighed melodramatically to the queen, surreptitiously clearing his throat as he turned to regard Hippolyta, who was looking at Diana thoughtfully.

"Being but a mere man, such as I am," Lex said, forcibly blinking away his tears, "how could I possibly be expected to resist the beguiling charms of the Bearer of the Lariat of Hestia, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera?" Lex asked Hippolyta with a playful smile.

"I'm afraid I am helplessly ensnared, Your Majesty," Lex said, sounding not the slightest bit discontent as he turned his eyes back to meet Diana's which were still glowing with so much love for him that Lex couldn't help wishing that they could knock her mother overboard and spend the rest of the afternoon making out adrift upon the landscape of waves to which the invisible jet treated them in a three hundred and sixty degree panoramic.

"But a _man, _Diana," said mother was protesting with weakening frustration, and Lex drew himself back to the present situation with a silent sigh.

"Everything we are as Amazons, everything we stand for…" the queen trailed off, a look of deeply troubled anguish on her face.

"I love him, Mother," Diana said, turning to face her queen with Lex's hand still clasped in hers.

"I can't help it," Diana said firmly.

"I don't want to help it," she added with a huge smile, squeezing Lex's fingers tight.

He gripped them back and the look that Diana gave him was so happy and joyful and elated that Lex could hardly breathe.

"Couldn't you find an equally nice woman?" Hippolyta half-heartedly tried again. "Someone in the Justice League, perhaps, since you insist on living in man's world?" the queen tiredly asked her daughter.

Lex was startled to see Diana's cheeks start to redden. He gave her a strange look. Diana had been in love with Bruce before him, Lex knew that. But as far as he knew, there hadn't been a female love interest on Diana's radar.

So why was she blushing, unless….?

Diana's eyes were rapidly filling with tears and she had started fidgeting in her seat, which was really unusual, Lex silently noted. The princess was normally the picture of calm composure and good breeding.

But Diana was glancing at the jet door as if half considering bolting and her breathing was coming faster and almost sounded panicked and she couldn't meet her mother's eyes, although she hadn't dropped Lex's hand from hers and was in fact squeezing it almost painfully, distracted to the point of nearly forgetting her Amazonian strength, Lex realized.

"Little One?" the queen said in concern, which elicited an actual whimper from her daughter, who turned her head into her shoulder in an attempt to hide.

"Diana," Lex said, tugging on her fingers to draw her attention up to him before lifting his other hand out to massage the back of her neck, which had the added benefit of shielding her with his arm from her mother's increasingly worried regard.

"What is it, sweetheart?" Lex gently asked Diana, probing her eyes with his.

"Whatever it is, you can tell us. I'm right here," he soothed her.

Diana's eyes frantically met his in terror before she screwed them tightly shut and hurriedly blurted out, "I don't like women!"

"Diana?" her mother's jaw gaped.

Lex's eyebrows went up.

"I'm so sorry, Mother!" Diana moaned, the tears now spilling from her eyes as she dared to steal a glance at the aghast queen of the Amazons before quickly turning her head away and sobbing.

"Sweetheart," Lex said comfortingly. "Come here," he tenderly commanded, reaching forward to pull her out of her chair and into his lap, where she promptly buried her head in his shoulder and bawled.

"Little One," Hippolyta started to say in dismay before trailing off, for once at a loss for words.

"I'm not attracted to women," Diana sobbed from the safety of Lex's arms.

"Not sexually. Or romantically," she clarified, although the queen's face said that she had understood all too well what her daughter was telling her.

"_Hera!_" Diana cursed in anger and self-loathing and abject misery at what she assumed must be her mother's complete disappointment in her Amazonian daughter.

Lex, however, despite nuzzling Diana's hair, was curiously regarding Hippolyta to gauge her reaction to Diana's unexpected revelation, because the queen, although certainly shocked, and more than a little distressed, had another emotion flitting about on her contorted features.

Guilt.

Now that was interesting, Lex thought as he cuddled Diana against him and stroked her hair.

"I thought I would find women attractive when I got older," Diana got out into between sobs, desperate to explain herself to her mother and drawing courage from Lex's warmly protective embrace.

"Everyone else on the island is thousands of years old," Diana moaned. "I expected I would develop romantic attractions in time," the princess wept.

Hippolyta bit her lip in dismay but said nothing.

"I never suspected that I would be attracted to men instead, Mother!" Diana added with growing urgency, daring to lift her head to make eye contact with the queen.

"That wasn't why I left Themyscira," Diana sniffed out in a plea for understanding.

"Please tell me that you believe me," Wonder Woman begged. "I wanted to help the world and ease its suffering. I couldn't stop up my ears from the agony -"

"Hush, child," her mother said firmly, her eyes hopelessly burdened but not angry.

"I know why you left, Little One," the queen added distractedly, still worrying her lip in a very unmajestic display of anxiety as she raised a heavy hand to her brow and rubbed the wrinkles she found there in confusion before glancing out of the jet to the waves and the endless horizon.

Lex watched her silently as he shushed and soothed Diana, whose sobs were continuing unabated.

After several moments, the queen cleared her throat and looked towards her daughter.

"Little One," Hippolyta said slowly. "I have not been entirely honest with you," the queen admitted, unable to hold Diana's startled gaze and casting her eyes downward to her lap.

But only for a moment before rallying herself to firmly lift her head and meet her daughter's wondering eyes. Diana gulped and sniffed.

"There are napkins," Lex said to Hippolyta, motioning to the picnic basket with his eyes.

The queen knelt down to withdraw a paper napkin from the wicker container before rising and using it to tenderly wipe Diana's face herself before pressing it into her daughter's hand.

Diana took a deep breath, struggling to calm her tears, and blew her nose on the napkin before wrapping her arms tightly around Lex while the two of them stared question marks at the Amazonian queen.

Hippolyta let out a long, mournful sigh.

"I told you that I formed you with my own two hands from the clay of the earth, and Hera herself breathed life into you," Hippolyta began.

"But there was a girdle," she said shamefacedly.

"A girdle?" Lex said, furrowing his brow.

"You don't mean Aphrodite's girdle?" Diana gasped to her mother with trepidation.

The queen blushed and glanced away instead of immediately answering.

"Mother!" Diana breathed out in dismay.

She looked up and met Lex's eyes which were suddenly glowing with understanding. Lex turned his head to give Hippolyta a long, assessing look.

"I do believe the pot is calling," he said dryly.

"I beg your pardon?" Hippolyta said to him.

"A human expression about hypocrisy," Lex said pointedly, causing the queen's cheeks to flush even more.

"Yes," Hippolyta agreed quietly, not denying it.

"Well. There was a girdle," she resumed uncomfortably. "Which Aphrodite made me swear to guard with my life," the queen said.

"It had powers," Diana said to Lex, who nodded.

"I've heard of it," he said. "Fated to make whoever gazed on it fall in love with the wearer, wasn't it?" he asked the queen with an arched brow.

"Only if they were of the male species," Hippolyta said, her cheeks stained crimson as her eyes faltered again.

Diana silently begged her to continue as the pit of dread in her stomach grew.

"Naturally," the queen continued after a pause, clearing her throat, "I could only keep such an oath by wearing the girdle, in order to protect it at all times," Hippolyta said, wishing to Hera that she could have explained all this to Diana without a man present.

It was mortifying. Humiliating, even.

Shameful. Utterly, completely, shameful.

She was the Queen of the Amazons, for Hera's sake!

And he was -

"Hades," Diana said grimly, her eyes going flat.

Hippolyta gasped.

"How did you - how -"

"He told me," Diana said crossly. "When Zeus summoned me to expel Faust from the Underworld and restore Hades as its ruler in order to preserve the balance between the realms."

"Shayera told me to use my lasso on Hades, so that I would know the truth," Diana said in annoyance, "but I told her that the truth didn't matter, because I knew who my family was," Diana said, locking her mother's eyes with hers.

"So you suspected me of lying to you and said nothing?" her mother asked her with eyes wide and hurt.

"Hera, mother!" Diana expelled in frustration. "I thought he had raped you! He'd tried to once before that I knew of. I certainly didn't think that you'd - that -"

"And it's not because Hades is a man," Diana said to Lex, whose mouth was having difficulty in maintaining a straight line.

"He's a terrible, awful person," Diana said.

"Sounds like we'd get along," Lex drawled with a twinkle and wink.

"No," Diana said, shaking her head. "No, Lex. Truly, no. Hades isn't the ruler of the Underworld for nothing. He's evil. Malicious. A would-be rapist. Why - _why?_" Diana asked her mother, her voice beginning to shake.

"Did _you_ rape _him_?" Lex asked Hippolyta, tilting his head to the side in consideration.

"Hera! No!" the queen burst out. "How could you think such a thing?"

"Because you were wearing a magical roofie girdle," Lex said grimly, eyeing the queen in suspicion.

"Not when I had relations with him!" Hippolyta snapped, not even bothering to ask what a roofie was.

"Then how and why did you have sex with him?" Diana demanded, some anger creeping into her tone.

"Little One - Diana," her mother sighed. "Allow me to explain," she said crossly.

"I was wearing the girdle when Hades escaped from the Underworld and attacked Themyscira, yes," the queen began. "Due to my oath to Aphrodite, I could not remove it," she said with exasperation evident in her voice.

"For all I knew, obtaining the girdle was Hades' goal. We fought him back, General Antiope leading the charge -"

"My aunt," Diana murmured to Lex with a fond smile, who returned it.

"Yes. My sister. Our most fearsome warrior," Hippolyta acknowledged. "Antiope and her troops were successfully beating back the daemons towards the Gates of the Underworld when Hades broke away towards the seashore. I led a small horde of warriors after him."

"As the archers' arrows rained down upon him, he turned back as if to fight us and was halted in his tracks at the sight of me in the girdle," Hippolyta said.

"The situation became quite embarrassing, to say the least," she frowned. "There I was, facing our darkest enemy, surrounded by my sister warriors, and here was Hades, the great god of the Underworld, fawning at my feet and grasping my waist and begging me for the privilege of abandoning the Underworld and incurring Zeus's wrath in order to become my consort."

A giggle broke from Diana's lips.

"It was not funny, Little One!" her mother snapped with cheeks aflame.

"I must agree with Diana," Lex said with a smile. "The situation does sound most amusing."

"It was not!" Hippolyta retorted. "And seeing as how Hades was under my complete control and dominion whilst I was clothed in the girdle, I ordered the rest of the Amazons to fall back to Antiope while I escorted Hades back to, well, hell," the queen said with the ghost of a smile.

"Via the long way around on the beach," she sighed, "as I did not wish to either engage his dominions or encounter any more pairs of gawking eyes," she said.

"But you said you weren't wearing the girdle when you …" Diana stared awkwardly at her mother.

"Diana," Hippolyta said in a world-weary voice, "Hades has a silver tongue when he so desires," she groaned. "And he is a most well-formed man, quite pleasing to the eyes," the queen admitted, causing Lex to smile roguishly with delight.

"My plan was to lead him back to his dwelling place, yes," Hippolyta said. "But as we traversed the terrain, he became increasingly familiar…"

Her voice trailed off as the memories overtook her.

* * *

_A/N Uh oh, Hippolyta! What did you do? We'll find out next time. Remember that new chapters post every two weeks from now on._

_You can follow me on Tumblr as River9Noble. Come say hi! _


	39. Chapter 39

_A/N - Possible TW - mild, but if you know you need to read them for your safety, scroll down to find it in the end notes. (To avoid spoilers for others). _

_Also, mild limes ahead... _

* * *

_**Chapter 39**_

"You're so beautiful," Hades purred in Hippolyta's ear, his hands sliding over her waist as he completely abandoned any pretense of walking in favor of seducing the woman who he'd decided moments earlier was the love of his life.

"Don't take me back to the Underworld right away," Hades pleaded, one hand making its way to Hippolyta's shapely leather-armor-covered rear before his lips and teeth found her earlobe.

"Hades!" Hippolyta scolded, attempting to shove his hands off of her. "Get a hold of yourself. Do you not recognize my garment?"

"No," Hades mumbled, burying his face in the queen's breasts which were spilling out of said bustier.

"But your bodice is beautiful, although it's not as lovely as you are," Hades added coquettishly as the queen's two strong hands yanked on his hair and pushed his mouth away from her bosoms, which Hippolyta could not deny had perked up when Hades pressed his way into them, but that was only a natural reaction, for Hera's sake.

It didn't mean anything. Especially not when Hades was under Aphrodite's cursed spell.

"I think you should keep this on when I make love to you, oh Queen of my Heart," Hades continued unperturbed, staring at Hippolyta like a love-struck puppy as he traced the curved edge of her corset, deliberately trailing his fingers onto the edges of her breasts.

The queen huffed out an annoyed breath as she firmly grasped the King of the Underworld's hands in hers and moved them well away from her body.

"Does tale of Aphrodite's girdle beat at the doors of your memory, perchance?" Hippolyta asked Hades.

He paused for half a second, looking confused, as if an important piece of knowledge was in fact trying to make itself known to his love-addled brain.

"I know not of what you speak," Hades boldly declared, despite the warning bells clanging in his head that he could not quite deduce the meaning of.

He wanted to frown, to slow down, to stop and clear his head, but Hippolyta was standing in front of him more radiant than he had ever seen her and Hades loved her with the fire of Apollo and knew he would suffer torments worse than Prometheus if he could not win his true love's favor, so he pressed on.

"I would have you, fair queen, ruler of my heart, who has abided above my head for centuries without allowing me to pursue thy ethereal grace -"

His hands were moving forward again, although still held in Hippolyta's, and Hades was chasing his hands with his lips and hips and - Hippolyta groaned, dropping Hades' hands and quickly stepping backwards a few paces as she hurriedly unlaced the pesky girdle in front of Hades' smoldering, enamored, and encouraging eyes.

Hippolyta tugged the fractious garment off over her head and turned and threw it up the cliff face with her superior Amazon strength, watching it land hundreds of meters away from them before turning back to face Hades once more, this time with sword drawn.

Hades halted in his eagerly advancing tracks, staring at the queen with the strangest look on his face, and not because she was now naked from the waist up.

"There," Hippolyta said briskly. "You see? You were under Aphrodite's spell," the queen said.

"And now we shall either continue our way to the Underworld peacefully, or I shall take great pleasure in running you through with my sword, thus accelerating your journey home," she snarked.

"You could have had me," Hades said in an oddly tight voice, tipping his head as he regarded the queen with dark eyes.

"For what purpose?" Hippolyta scoffed.

"A conquest," Hades shrugged, "for your own enjoyment, perhaps. Or as a means to humiliate me before my minions, or embarrass me before the gods, or brag to Aphrodite, or make me the laughingstock of your warriors…" his voice trailed off as he watched Hippolyta with a curious expression on his face.

"I would have obeyed your every command," Hades said in a voice tinged with a hint of dread.

Hippolyta frowned.

"Unlike you, I possess honor," she said severely.

"Honor," Hades laughed softly.

He stroked his jaw and regarded Hippolyta more thoughtfully.

"Honor is a novelty among the gods, my lady," he said in a low voice that caused Hippolyta's stomach to flutter.

Hades took a slow step forward towards the queen, only to be met with her pointed sword.

"I mean you no harm," Hades said easily, raising both hands with a guileless smile on his face. "Quite the opposite, in fact," he said, pulling off his shirt.

"Hades!" the queen exclaimed in frustration at his undressing.

"You misunderstand me," the dark lord chuckled, holding his shirt out to Hippolyta. "Perhaps you'd like to cover up…?" he asked her.

She stared at him for a long, unabashed minute, breasts still boldly bare, before accepting his shirt with an outstretched hand. She backed up several paces again before laying her sword in easy reach on a rock and quickly slipping Hades' black shirt over her head, knotting it under her cleavage.

"Thank you," she said quietly, and Hades nodded at her as she rolled the sleeves up.

He glanced up towards the cliff face where Hippolyta had thrown the girdle.

"Shall I retrieve that for you?" he asked her. "I'm sure Aphrodite would be most displeased if an eagle plucked it off the cliff and took it out to sea."

Hippolyta sighed.

"We will both go for it," she said, picking her sword back up. "Come," she ordered him.

He gave her an amused smile.

"You don't trust me?" he asked her.

"Obviously I do not trust you," Hippolyta said crossly. "You have caused me nothing but trouble today," she complained.

"Funny," Hades drawled as they picked their way through the rocks of the cliff face. "I thought I caused you nothing but trouble every day."

Hippolyta rolled her eyes.

"When you stay in the Underworld where you belong, I have no cause to either be troubled by you or to even think of you," she said.

"You almost cease to exist," she declared cuttingly.

"You wound me, my lady," Hades cried dramatically, clutching his heart, which, to his great delight, made Hippolyta snort out a faintly amused chuckle.

"Correct me if I'm wrong, however," Hades said, "but I was under the impression that the Amazons were imprisoned on Themyscira for the sole purpose of guarding the gates of the Underworld and keeping me in my place."

"We were not imprisoned," Hippolyta snapped.

"But you can't leave," Hades pressed her.

"We do not leave," Hippolyta retorted. "There is a difference."

"Is there?" Hades asked, sounding serious for a change.

"We Amazons have no desire to live in man's world," Hippolyta answered him. "Our past experiences with that unfortunate gender produced nothing but suffering in us."

"_Nothing _else was produced in you by those encounters?" Hades winked at her as they continued making their way towards the girdle.

"I suppose bitterness was also a by-product of those cursed times," Hippolyta mused dryly, making Hades laugh out loud.

"You should come down and visit me sometimes," he said boldly, smiling at the queen.

"Why?" she asked, arching a delicate eyebrow.

Hades shrugged.

"It's a lonely life, being a ruler," he said. "No equals to converse with, everyone you know too afraid of you to become familiar, always having to keep ourselves distant and aloof to maintain authority…" he said, eyeing the queen as she bit her lip, considering his words.

"It can be draining," Hippolyta acknowledged quietly. "But it is the sacrifice we must make for the good of the many."

Hades flicked his fingers at those words.

"But why sacrifice needlessly?" he said. "If companionship and intimacy might be found with an equal sovereign in a realm adjacent to one's own."

Hippolyta stared into Hades' deep eyes which appeared surprisingly earnest. She swallowed.

"If it were possible, I concede that it might be pleasant," she finally said, making him grin.

"But you know that it is not possible, Hades," Hippolyta reprimanded him, although regret was now lacing her voice.

"Why not?" Hades persisted, halting his ascent and turning to face her head on.

Hippolyta huffed.

"I am the queen of the Amazons," she said. "I cannot simply waltz into the Underworld for social visits with… you," she said.

"Because I'm Hades?" the man asked her. "Or because I'm a man?" he said suspiciously.

Hippolyta sighed.

"I do not know, Hades," she murmured. "Both, I suppose," she said, resuming their climb.

Hades grunted at her but continued to follow the queen up the cliff face. When they finally reached the girdle, Hippolyta hesitated before picking it up.

"I am uncertain if holding it is enough to cause you to lose your senses," she said cautiously to the man beside her.

"Well, it doesn't matter, does it?" Hades said petulantly. "Since you have no interest in me."

"I did not say that I had no interest," Hippolyta said softly as she bent to pick up the girdle.

She started to turn towards Hades with it in her hand, to make sure that he was not enchanted, but found herself startled by a warm, strong hand on her hip and lips locking with hers.

"Hades!" she tried to protest against his lips, dropping the girdle to the ground, which only gave Hades the ability to slide both arms around her waist as he deepened their kiss.

And Hera, was Hades a good kisser, Hippolyta realized as she debated within herself whether to kiss him back or push him down the cliff.

Her body seemed to be deciding for her, though, as her arms slipped around his neck and she relaxed into his attentions.

Because, well, it was nice to be kissed, Hippolyta had to admit.

Hades had, in his persuasive arguments, unknowingly hit upon the queen's greatest frustration in her rule of Themyscira: Hippolyta's potential lovers were often intimidated by the queen to the point where she found herself abstaining from pursuing fellow Amazons altogether, because the queen never felt quite sure if she was not forcing someone into receiving unwanted affections.

Her repeated inquiries into both her partner's state of mind and their willingness to become her paramour often grew tiresome to the point of killing the mood while doing nothing to alleviate the queen's doubts. In fact, Hippolyta had prematurely ended more than one casual affair before they even began due to nagging worries of taking advantage.

And even when one of her Amazons approached her of their own free will, Hippolyta found herself wondering if she was nothing more than a golden fleece to them, so to speak.

Which, if her needs were being met by a willing lover, was not necessarily something to be insulted over, but Hippolyta's queenly conscience found itself concerned that her dalliances would create strife and jealousy among her warriors as bragging rights were attained and possibly touted throughout the island.

Amazons were superior to men by far, but they were also far from perfect.

So the queen resolutely denied herself intimate companionship, instead choosing to pleasure herself by herself, with solitude as her only lover.

But as Hades kissed her with his eminently skillful tongue, Hippolyta found herself wondering if an affair with the lord of the Underworld would be so very bad.

If there was a way to visit him without alarming her sisters, because obviously the queen would not be so foolish as to allow Hades up into Themyscira… Could she fabricate some pretext from the gods, perhaps? Or a need to check-in on Hades every so often?

Perhaps a solution could be found.

Both royals were breathing hard by the time that Hades let the queen's lips go, only for him to grip her face with an impassioned hand as he rested his forehead on hers, while his other hand caressed her waist.

"You see?" Hades murmured enticingly against her mouth before kissing the corner of it.

"Perhaps I do," Hippolyta conceded, looking up into his dark eyes with her blue ones.

The smile that Hades gave her was wickedly seductive and sent shivers to the most delightful places all throughout the queen's body.

"You will not take me here," Hippolyta warned him, looking around at the rocky terrain that surrounded them on the cliff.

"The beach?" Hades suggested and the queen nodded, stooping to retrieve the girdle before accepting Hades' hand in hers as they made their way back down the cliff to the sand below.

* * *

Hippolyta's eyes glossed over in Diana's invisible jet as her voice faded out, causing an impatient Wonder Woman to wake her out of her reverie.

"Mother!" Diana said. "What happened next?" she demanded as the queen came to with a start.

Lex smirked at his fiancée.

"I believe we all know what happened next," he teased.

Hippolyta sighed, her cheeks blushing a faint pink.

"Yes, well, it was wonderful, if that is what you are asking, Little One," she said to her daughter.

"Hades was tender, attentive, generous, passionate…" The queen's voice began to trail off again as Diana shook her head impatiently.

"I meant what happened afterthat part, Mother," Diana said, frowning. "Obviously you didn't continue the affair."

Lex found himself mostly unsurprised to see a deeper look of guilt cross the queen's face. He was beginning to get a read on her, he thought to himself. And when one knew their enemy - well…

"I did continue the affair," the queen murmured softly.

"At least," she sighed, "I tried to."

"I made up an excuse to pay a call to the Underworld not long after re-imprisoning Hades there," Hippolyta said, rubbing a hand across the multitude of fretful wrinkles in her forehead.

"I lied horribly," the queen admitted. "I told Antiope that Zeus had sent Hermes to me, asking me to deliver a scathing message to Hades about his recent incursion into Themyscira."

"Mother!" Diana said in a shocked voice. "You lied about the gods?"

"Well," Hippolyta said, shifting uncomfortably in her seat, "they do not often listen in on earthly affairs. They are far too busy getting drunk and cheating on their lovers and whatnot. You know," she said, with a slightly mischievous smile as Diana gaped at her.

No, Diana did not know. Her mother had brought her up to revere their other-realmly rulers, despite their often selfish intentions and more-than-disruptive family squabbles.

"So you went to the Underworld," Lex prompted her mother, though, and Diana refocused her attention on the strange, anxiety producing tale that Hippolyta was weaving through Diana's now shattered childhood beliefs about not only her origins, but also the mother who she had long believed to be her sole parent and a saintly monarch.

"Yes, I went to the Underworld," Hippolyta answered Lex, her eyes going sad.

"Hades was delighted to see me, of course, and we spent a most pleasant afternoon together," she said, looking wistful.

"I fell asleep afterwards," the queen said, casting her eyes down to the floor. "And when I awoke, my sword was missing."

* * *

"Hades?" Hippolyta's puzzled voice called out as she looked around his gothic bedroom for her sword, which she had been most careful to bring down to the Underworld with her.

Hades cared for her, no doubt, but Hippolyta would not be entering his realm unarmed. Or alerting her sisters to the fact that her visit was personal in nature.

"Beloved?" Hades' teasing voice called back as he entered his bedchamber from his adjacent study, shutting the door behind him.

"Where is my sword, Hades?" Hippolyta said, frowning with her hands on her hips.

"It's perfectly safe," Hades said with a twinkle in his eye.

"Where?" Hippolyta said crossly, suddenly feeling slightly on edge.

"Darling, you won't need it for the time being," Hades said in a sultry voice, his arms sliding down Hippolyta's hips again as he pressed a kiss to her temple.

"Hades, I have to go home," Hippolyta said firmly. "My warriors will become alarmed if I stay any longer. Antiope has surely already become filled with unease as it is," Hippolyta said nervously, thinking of the rigorous questioning that her sister would no doubt subject her to upon her return.

"I should not have fallen asleep," the queen muttered to herself.

"You needed it," Hades smirked with a playful pinch to her rear, earning his hand an equally playful swat even as Hippolyta gave him what she hoped was a cajoling smile.

"Sweetheart, I need my sword," the queen said to Hades, cradling his cheek with her hand.

"I will return to you as soon as possible. You have my word," she promised him. "It is not necessary to play games to keep me here longer," she told him honestly.

Hades kissed the palm of her hand.

"Don't leave yet," he gently pleaded with her.

"I must," Hippolyta said softly, feeling her heart wrench with pity at the tortured agony in Hades' eyes at the thought of her parting.

"You cannot," Hades said regretfully.

"Because you refuse to return my sword?" Hippolyta exclaimed, suddenly frustrated.

"Hades, I swear," she said, becoming impatient as she backed out of his arms.

"Do you want my warriors to become suspicious? How can I hope to keep returning to you if you insist on detaining me every time I must leave?" she fumed.

"You can't," Hades said so softly that she almost didn't hear him.

"Whether I detain you or not, Hippolyta," the ruler of the Underworld said more grimly, "you have no hope of returning to me once you leave."

"What do you mean?" Hippolyta gasped.

Hades held his hands up gently.

"Now, sweetheart, don't get upset," he began to say.

"Upset about what?" Hippolyta snapped at him.

Hades sighed.

"We both know that if you return aboveworld, this will be your one and only visit to me," he said with despairing certainty.

"I certainly do _not _know that!" Hippolyta said, her jaw dropping open. "I will not cease my visits to you, Hades," she cried in wild disbelief, staring at him as if he'd gone mad.

"You will," Hades said, moving forward to hold her shoulders gently in his hands.

"Your Amazons will already be suspicious. You said so yourself," Hades said, overriding her attempted objection.

"You will not find it so easy to make excuses for a second visit," he said. "One of your warriors may even petition the gods for an explanation. And what will happen to you then?" Hades asked his lover, his brow furrowing in concern.

"They'll punish you, Hippa," he said forebodingly, and Hippolyta had to pause, because if anyone knew of the gods' capricious nature, it was Hades.

"And your sisters will hate you," Hades continued relentlessly. "They'll accuse you of betraying them, philandering with a man and not only a man, their immortal enemy."

"No," Hippolyta whispered, knowing all too well in her heart that Hades was right.

Her eyes filled with tears.

"So, this is good-bye?" she asked him brokenly. "And the reason why you hid my sword? To steal a few more hours together?"

"No," Hades said, raising his eyebrows in surprise.

"No to both questions," he clarified to Hippolyta's confused look.

"This is not good-bye at all," Hades smiled, picking the queen's hands up in his and squeezing them lightly.

"You won't be leaving," he smiled more broadly.

"Explain yourself," Hippolyta gasped.

Her lover shrugged.

"I'm keeping you here with me," he said.

"You most certainly are not!" Hippolyta barked at him.

"Darling, it's better this way," Hades entreated her. "Your sisters will believe I've kidnapped you," he said.

"Which you will have," Hippolyta said shortly.

"Well, yes, but they won't know that we were already having an affair," Hades beamed at her. "They'll blame me for your forced inhabitation of the Underworld and no one will be angry at you at all," he promised her.

"Poor Hippolyta, kidnapped and ensnared by Hades," he mourned with theatrical flourish.

"Forced to become his wife," he intoned.

"Hades," Hippolyta said faintly.

"Don't you see?" he said proudly. "We'll get to stay together. You'll be free to go above world for visits. Your Amazons will choose a new queen. Everything will be well."

"_**I **_will not be well!" Hippolyta protested as tears began to clog her throat.

"Whyever not, beloved?" Hades asked in confusion.

"Hades," the queen said, pressing a hand to her forehead, "I care for you a great deal. But I do not wish to reside in the Underworld," she said.

He frowned.

"I am confined to the Underworld," he said. "If you stay, we can be together. I would live in Themyscira if I could," he teased, "but we both know that's impossible."

"Me taking up residence in the Underworld is equally impossible!" Hippolyta huffed.

Hades gave her a wounded look.

"It's not," he said slowly. "You know it's not."

"Hades," Hippolyta said in frustration, pain lancing through her heart as she half-turned away from him.

"I cannot," she whispered. "I have responsibilities, friends, a life."

"Responsibilities that others can take on," Hades said, coming up behind her and sliding his arms around her waist. "Friends that you can visit. A life that you live alone. Stay with me," he begged her.

"Please, Hippolyta," he asked her.

Hippolyta sniffed and to her dismay, found herself beginning to cry.

"I do not care for the Underworld," she sobbed against his arms that were snugged tightly around her.

"And I do?" Hades said dryly. "This was not a voluntary assignment for me, beloved."

"I love my sisters," Hippolyta cried, putting a hand over her mouth as she began to sob. "And the sunshine, and Themyscira, and being an Amazon. Hades, I cannot, I cannot -" she cried as her tears began to flow in earnest.

Hades turned her around to face his chest and wrapped her up in his arms, making soothing sounds into her ear as she cried.

"You'll get used to it," he murmured against her. "You can visit your sisters every week," he promised her. "Every day, if you wish," he said. "Your life will hardly be different."

"The gods will never let me travel between the realms that often," Hippolyta countered. "You know they will not, Hades. They will order my sisters to keep me confined here as well as you."

"I'll talk to the gods," Hades soothed.

Hippolyta gave a frustrated, despairing cry and began to sob harder as she clung to Hades' shirt, knowing that he would never prevail against the residents of Mount Olympus. He had been cast down to the Underworld for a reason, after all. Hades was a far cry from the most popular member of his convoluted family.

The queen's sobs became a mournful wail as she clutched at the man who she had dared to believe could bring her happiness.

And that was the killing blow to her poor heart - Hades did bring her happiness, only it was being wrenched away most cruelly by circumstances beyond their control.

Why, oh why, oh why -

Sometime later, all cried out, Hippolyta raised her head off Hades' shoulder and looked at him miserably.

"I must go," she said dully. "With or without my sword," she added.

Hades said nothing as she allowed herself one final, lingering, farewell kiss to his precious lips, before she turned and walked to the bedroom door, her shoulders slumped.

The queen wiped her eyes, took a deep breath, straightened her shoulders, and turned the door handle.

To find it locked.

* * *

_A/N Possible TW - There is a slightly non-consensual kiss that Hades initiates with Hippolyta. They've already acknowledged mutual attraction, but Hippolyta has also said that she doesn't think a relationship between them would work. She quickly gets into the kiss, though - but yes, in real life, that would be heinous to up and kiss someone like that who's expressed uncertainty or told you no. Also - the ending of the chapter might make some nervous, but no rape is being foreshadowed. Just Hades being an asshole and proving why he's lord of the Underworld._

_Thanks for reading! This story updates every two weeks. _


	40. Chapter 40

_A/N Trigger Warning - scroll to endnotes if needed (to avoid spoilers for others) _

* * *

_**Chapter 40**_

Hippolyta's already breaking heart fell to the floor and shattered.

"Hades," she half-whispered with tears in her eyes, turning to face her lover who was watching her from across the bedroom with eyes that were regretfully determined.

"You truly intend to kidnap me?" she asked him raggedly, her feelings of betrayal evident in her voice.

"We'll be happy together, Hippa," Hades said firmly, slowly moving forward towards the woman standing between him and eternal misery.

"Not like this," Hippolyta protested, sniffing and wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"Not if you force me to remain here," she said.

"You'll forgive me in time," Hades calmly promised her, reaching out to caress her upper arms.

And Hippolyta wanted to shake him off, she did, but what had started out as a hope-filled love affair full of happiness now had her reeling from its unexpected descent into dizzying heartbreak and madness and impossibilities, so she numbly let Hades attempt to rub comfort into her shaking limbs, despite the futility of his efforts.

She could not live in the Underworld. She could not.

It was horrible, dank, crawling with misery and creatures of darkness. Not even the joy of time spent with Hades could counter the effects that an eternity in the Underworld would have on Hippolyta's psyche and spirit.

But painful as the absence of daylight and oceans and beaches would be, imprisonment in the Underworld would drain far deeper reservoirs of Hippolyta's essence due to the piercing agony of losing her sisters.

Her identity as an Amazon was the core of Hippolyta's existence.

She and her sisters had once suffered together at man's hands and prevailed. As determined womyn warriors, they had won freedom from their previously cursed existence and been granted favor by Hera herself - strength amplified and life extended.

The Amazons had earned the right from the gods to reside on Themyscira, free from the harms of man's world and privileged as the chosen ones tasked with guarding the gates of the Underworld.

To give all that up…?

If she ceased to be an Amazon, she ceased to be Hippolyta.

What would the queen then be except an empty shell for a man's pleasure? And for her own pleasure, very well, that was true - but it was still not enough.

As much as she loved Hades - and Hera, help her, she did love him - Hippolyta loved who she was more.

"Petition the gods for me," she said slowly to Hades, weighing their options. "Secure permission for me to visit you as I please while residing aboveworld," she pleaded.

"I will deal with the disapproval and disappointment of my Amazons," Hippolyta said bravely. "But I cannot lose what makes me who I am, Hades. Surely you must see that."

Hades shook his head in frustration.

"You know the gods will refuse," he growled at her. "They hate me."

"They do not hate _me_," Hippolyta pointed out.

Hades scoffed.

"Hera herself will condemn you to an eternity in the Underworld if she learns that you willingly gave yourself to me," he said. "Your Amazons may forgive you, but Hera will not."

Hippolyta felt her last shred of hope wither and die. Hades was no fool. If anyone understood the gods, it was him.

Hadn't Hera blessed the Amazons specifically because she identified with their female suffering? Suffering that came at the hands of male lovers? She would be enraged with her weak, foolish, lovestruck Amazonian queen who was supposed to be Hera's shining pillar of feminine strength, a spit in the eye to Hera's wandering husband Zeus.

Hades sighed and rubbed his head.

"Hera may have mercy on you if I kidnap you, Hippa," he said gently.

"She may well grant you free access to Themyscira in commiseration with your misery," he said. "I truly believe she will pity you."

"It is an enormous risk for me to take," Hippolyta said fearfully.

"I did not craft my plans lightly," Hades said with an apologetic smile. "The best chance we both have for complete happiness depends upon me playing the villain. Would you rather we be torn apart?" he asked his queen, probing her hopeless eyes with his pleading ones.

Hippolyta shook her head as tears once again filled her eyes.

"I love you," she said brokenly. "But I cannot risk my freedom, Hades," she said. "It is too much."

Hades' eyes had flared with emotion at her declaration of love and his demeanor slowly relaxed.

"You are not risking your freedom, my love," he said gently as he cupped Hippolyta's face in his hands. "I am risking it on your behalf."

The queen would have staggered backwards if Hades had not caught her.

"Hades, if you love me, you cannot!" she cried. "It is too cruel!" she said.

"Hippa, because I love you, I must," Hades said firmly.

"How can you equate love with my condemnation to a lifetime of misery?" Hippolyta said, choking on a sob as she jerked a hand up to her mouth.

"It is not a sure thing that you will be condemned," Hades said patiently as he ran a caressing hand through her hair. "It is a calculated risk that I am willing to take on our behalf."

"Where is the love in removing my say in the matter?" Hippolyta demanded as she shrugged Hades off and stepped backwards. "What about my choice? My freedom?"

"You have had your say, my love," Hades reassured her. "I know your feelings on the matter. And I am willing to tolerate your anger and grief for overriding your wishes," he said sweetly.

"For an eternity?" Hippolyta snapped at him, putting her hands on her hips.

Hades laughed.

"Baby, we both know that you won't stay angry at me for all of eternity," he said, causing the queen to cross her arms over her chest and glare at him.

"You have a good heart, Hippa," Hades said affectionately.

"You'll pity me, eventually, in my solitary, unloved state. You'll remember the love that burns in our hearts for each other," he said. "And then we shall be happy," he promised her.

He sounded so certain, so sure of himself and his plans, and even worse - so sure of _her_! Sure that her emotions could be so easily manipulated. Sure that, even if the gods never permitted Hippolyta to see the sun again, she would one day submit to her softer feelings and forgive Hades for stealing her life, exiling her from her family, and ripping her of her identity.

Was this not how she and her sisters had become prey so long ago? Out of adoring hearts lost to common sense and self-preservation that had led the women straight into the snares that their devious male lovers had laid for them?

Why did salvation sometimes depend on breaking one's own heart? Hippolyta thought with dismay. And not only her heart, but Hades' as well.

_Hera, give me strength, _Hippolyta thought to herself.

"I will not stay," the queen said resolutely to Hades, crushing the yearning cries of her heart underfoot as she drew herself up to her full height.

"I will not let you leave," Hades smiled at her.

"Will you fight me to keep me here?" Hippolyta said to him, drawing her mouth into a thin line.

"If I must," Hades grinned with a twinkle in his eye, and damn his charm!

But Hippolyta was determined to hold the line.

"You must," she glared back at him, ignoring the trembling aches in her chest.

"And you will fight my warriors as well," the Amazon queen declared to the king of the Underworld. "You must know that they will soon come for me when I do not return."

"They'll try," Hades replied nonchalantly. "But I've already prepared my defenses in anticipation of their arrival."

Hippolyta was startled by a surge of icy hatred shooting up through her heart and she welcomed it - blessed it, even - because she needed to numb the fiery passion that Hades so inspired in her.

"If even one of my warriors falls in battle, I will never forgive you. Ever," Hippolyta hissed at Hades, suddenly certain that despite her conflicted emotions, she spoke the truth.

"Eternity will be too short a time for all of the torments that I will render upon your head," the queen said in a low, dangerous voice as she warily began to circle Hades, looking for an opportunity to strike.

Hades' light-hearted chuckle of amusement did nothing to ease the growing battle rage in Hippolyta's chest.

"Hippa, of course I'm not going to let any of your Amazons fall," Hades continued to chuckle in mirth as he watched his woman circle him like a lioness.

"My minions have strict orders to avoid lethal blows, even at the expense of their own injuries," Hades said calmly.

"What a kind and noble leader you are to them," the queen of the Amazons scorned, continuing to stalk her prey even though her inner panic for her sisters' safety subsided the smallest fraction of an inch at his words.

"Better my troops fall than yours," Hades said pragmatically, still watching Hippolyta with delighted eyes. "I didn't ask to be their king."

"My troops are immortal, anyway," he shrugged. "So they get an extra dose of suffering today. It'll break the monotony for them," he said flippantly, clearly not giving a fuck.

Hippolyta stopped in her tracks and stared at him.

She had been swept up in a torrent of love for Hades, she could not deny that truth.

The way he had treated her at first had been tender, even sweet. He was loving, caring, considerate, and had all the makings of a wonderful partner, until his malformed decision to kidnap her.

But to hear the way that Hades dismissed the well-being of the creatures he'd been granted dominion over, even if they _were_ daemons, sent a chill through Hippolyta's heart that actually punctured the bubble of her affections.

Could she truly love a man who cared so little for others? Especially for the ones committed to his care?

Slowly, Hippolyta's feet moved into a fighter's stance as she considered her true chances of prevailing against Hades in hand-to-hand combat without her sword.

The queen was an Amazon, but Hades was a god and had naturally superior body strength. He was not formally trained in the art of combat, however, which could give Hippolyta an advantage...

"I would advise against it," Hades said mildly, calmly stepping out of range and sitting down in his armchair, where he had the nerve to stretch his legs out in front of him.

"I can change my mind about sparing your warriors, you know," Hades said to Hippolyta with a smirk, picking a non-existent piece of lint off of his sleeve.

"You bastard," Hippolyta spat in shocked anger, outrage beginning to rise in her breast as her breathing increased.

Hades shrugged.

"Guilty as charged," he said.

"Come and have some wine, baby," he cajoled her, pouring a glass and holding it out to her. "It'll take the edge off."

"I do not want your wine!" Hippolyta snapped at him.

"Sure you do," Hades smiled, taking a sip of his own glass.

"It'll still be hours before your warriors decide to attack," he said. "We might as well have some fun until then, hm?" he said with a raised eyebrow which caused Hippolyta's mouth to pop open in offense.

"You must be mad," she hissed.

"This is Dionysus' homebrew," Hades said thoughtfully, regarding his glass, "so it's possible," he grinned to Hippolyta's derisive snort.

"Come on, Hippa," Hades wheedled her, setting his glass down and leaning forward on his arms.

"Let's get drunk and make love all afternoon," he begged her. "The future will work itself out without us sniping at each other," he said.

Hippa stared at him as pangs of disappointment flooded her heart.

This - this was not the man she had supposed herself in love with.

"How can you even suggest that we copulate now?" Hippolyta said bitterly as she debated whether to sit on the bed - a dangerous option - or in the remaining armchair - no more appealing a choice due to its proximity to the man she wished to disentangle herself from, no matter what protests her rapidly withering heart still insisted upon making.

"Sweetheart, I am nothing if not a realist," Hades said easily. "I don't see the sense in arguing when we love each other. The situation will play out how it plays out."

"You control how it plays out!" Hippolyta spat in frustration. "You could release me this instant!"

"But I won't," Hades said with a darker steel in his voice.

"So you may as well make the best of it, darling. Have some wine," he offered again with less of a suggestion and more of a command in his voice as he held out the glass.

Hippolyta's mind snagged on a red thread of warning - some tale heard long ago - or was it Hades' repeated urgings perhaps, making her nervous? What was bothering her? Why was he so insistent that she drink his damn wine? She - _oh. _

_Hera. _

"I heard tell," Hippolyta said, finding her regalest tone as she slowly lowered herself into an elegantly poised perch on the edge of the armchair across from Hades, "that if a living mortal eats or drink in the Underworld, they are condemned to remain its resident for all eternity."

Hades' equally unperturbed shell cracked for the merest glimmer of a moment as lightning flashed through his dark eyes, before his face slipped back into utterly smooth opacity.

Hippolyta's stomach sank with the weight of Sisyphus's boulder.

She was not quite a human, but she still required nourishment. Hera herself would be powerless to allow Hippolyta the luxury of aboveworld visits if foods from the Underworld had poisoned her body with their cold, shadowy tendrils tying her to their realm.

"Amazons aren't mortals," Hades countered smoothly.

But Hippolyta had seen the chip in his facade.

"We are extraordinary beings, yes," Hippolyta graciously granted him. "But we are very much alive," she said grimly.

"As am I," Hades said easily. "And yet, I journey aboveworld as I please. Providing I can slip past your warriors, of course," he smirked.

"You are a god and lord of the Underworld," Hippolyta pointed out with a frown. "You are immune to the effects of your land's food and drink."

"And you will be as well," Hades promised, waving his hand breezily through the air.

"You don't know that," Hippolyta said in a tight voice.

What she did not say, was that Hades most certainly did not believe that.

"I'm almost positive," Hades smiled at her. "You have nothing to fear, beloved," he soothed.

"You claimed that Hera would have mercy on me," Hippolyta argued in a stronger voice.

"And so she shall, I truly believe it," Hades passionately swore.

"Hera is powerless once the below world curse is cast," Hippolyta growled, gritting her teeth in fury.

"It will not be cast, beloved," Hades exclaimed in frustration. "You are not human," he said.

"Yet you have never had an Amazon eat your fare, so you know not the results," Hippolyta glowered.

"A minor detail, my sweet," Hades sighed. "I would not risk your happiness, Hippolyta, on a risk that I thought was not safely in your favor," he said with an earnestness that rang false.

"Such as risking my freedom on the hope of Hera's mercy," Hippolyta said through her teeth.

"Precisely!" Hades said, smiling broadly.

"Such as Hera's mercy, and such as my food and wine. You will be able to eat and drink my fare without worry, Hera will have pity on your kidnapped state, and all will be well, Hippa. You need not worry," Hades proclaimed.

"Seeing as how it's _my life_," Hippolyta said in quiet rage, "I shall worry as I choose and decline your gracious offer of hospitality," she sneered.

"Suit yourself," Hades said mildly, taking a deliberately large mouthful of wine. "You might get awfully thirsty before your warriors decide to show up," he said.

"I'll survive," Hippolyta glared, gripping the armrests of her chair.

"What about after they turn tail and leave you here?" Hades said more quietly, sipping more wine before giving her a feral smile.

Hippolyta did not deign to answer. As if her Amazons would ever leave her here! she thought impatiently. But men be damned and Hades be cursed, because Hippolyta would leave Hades with her heart in tatters. That she knew.

* * *

"Oh, Mother," Diana said sorrowfully, pity welling up in her eyes.

Even Lex looked sympathetic towards the queen.

"One would have thought that a god would have had the power to bend circumstances to his desires," Lex said thoughtfully. "Rather than sacrifice your freedom."

Hippolyta sighed.

"Well, they're a very dysfunctional family," she said. "If they had been on better terms, Hades would not have been cast down to the Underworld in the first place."

"Still," Lex frowned. "If I were Hades? I would have fought the rest of the gods for my woman," he declared.

"Hera!" Diana exclaimed as Hippolyta's eyes popped open wide. "You're speaking of open combat, Lex?" Diana said in shock.

"Of course," Lex said, looking puzzled. "I'd lay my money down on Hades being the strongest one of the rotten bunch," he said. "They didn't lock him up on an island full of warriors standing guard over him for no reason," he pointed out.

"The gods never battle one another openly," Hippolyta said in horror, meeting Diana's equally astounded eyes.

"Perhaps they should," Lex commented dryly.

"Take it from a former super villain, madam. Unchecked power leads to an overabundance of injustice," Lex said seriously. "Hence its appeal," he smirked at Diana, who sighed indulgently.

"I ask you to consider, your Majesty," Lex continued, "what have your gods ever truly accomplished or resolved with their in-fighting, adultery, and rapes, not to mention their overzealous backstabbing and endlessly creative torments?" he asked the queen.

Hippolyta bit her lip and dropped eye contact.

"They are our rulers," she murmured.

"It is our place to honor and respect them," Diana obediently piped up.

Lex barely checked himself in time from openly scoffing, but he managed to limit his disdain for that concept to a single raised eyebrow.

Hippolyta gave Diana a soft smile.

"I raised you to believe that for your protection, Little One," she said.

"The truth is, our rulers are naught but more powerful than we are. It is far safer to render them the reverence they so desire rather than risk becoming the victim of their next 'creative torment,'" the queen sighed with a rueful smile for Lex.

Diana's mouth fell open into an 'O' as she stared at her mother with shocked eyes.

"I am shaking the foundations of your world today, Little One," Hippolyta said with a soft, regretful laugh.

She paused.

"Not that you have not shaken mine as well, daughter," the queen said with a frown, remembering the wherefore of her mournful reminiscing.

"Why in Themyscira's name must you be married so soon?" the queen fussed, looking from Lex to Diana and back again.

"Surely if wisdom alone did not dictate taking more time to consider, my woeful tale of your conception would suggest prudence, Diana," Hippolyta said.

Lex and Diana glanced at each other.

"Hera, do not tell me that you are pregnant!" the queen gasped in horror. "I know I raised you on an island full of women, Diana, but even I am aware that such a thing as birth control exists in man's world!"

Diana blushed as Lex's warm chuckle filled the jet.

"She hasn't had the chance to become pregnant, yet," Lex admitted.

"In truth?" the queen gaped, looking back and forth at the couple in astonishment.

Lex gave a slightly embarrassed shrug, prompting Diana to rub his shoulder in encouragement.

"For the first time in my life, I have found myself wanting something more," Lex said to Hippolyta, before turning to give Diana a tender gaze as he reached out to hold her hand.

"I would prefer to make Diana my wife before making her my lover," Lex admitted to the stars in Diana's eyes and Hippolyta's curious ears.

"Gracious," Hera said slowly, sitting back in her seat as she gave Lex an assessing look.

"No wonder you want to marry her so quickly," the queen snorted after a moment, making both Lex and Diana laugh guiltily.

"But I still say that you are a man and therefore unworthy," Hippolyta declared, although with much less animosity than when she had first entered the jet.

"Mother!" Diana protested. "Because of Hades?" she questioned her.

"It seems to me that the situation with Hades had more to do with his own cowardice than with his masculinity," Lex observed. "Had he fought for you, he could have secured both you and your happiness."

"I would not call Hades a coward," Hippolyta frowned. "Selfish, I should think. Lazy, perhaps, as well. Unwilling to challenge his family's status quo over an affair of the heart."

"But even so, that's not a reflection on his gender, Mother," Diana said gently. "Why are you truly opposed to Lex? Because of what my sisters on the island will say?"

"No," Hera sighed reluctantly. "I suppose not. Not truly. You have already disgraced yourself by entering man's world," she lamented, prompting Lex's lips to twitch in amusement as he caught Diana's eye.

"Marrying a man will diminish your status further, yes, and doubtless cause me embarrassment, but compared to you leaving us to begin with…" the queen trailed off. "No one will be overly surprised, I think, that you have become further corrupted," Hera said begrudgingly. "I may even find myself pitied rather than mocked."

Diana bit her tongue to keep her giggles at bay, thankful that with Lex at her side, she, too, was able to see the humor in her mother's distress, which deflected the darts of hurt that her mother was haphazardly flinging her way.

"Then, what is your actual concern?" Lex queried the queen. "If not my gender?"

Hippolyta looked at him for a minute before dropping her eyes to the ground.

"You are too similar to her father," Hippolyta muttered to her hands. "I do not trust you."

"Mother," Diana said, wounded at last. "Lex is nothing like Hades."

"Lex Luthor is, in his own words, the greatest villain the world has ever known," Hippolyta said quietly but firmly, raising her head to meet Diana's eyes.

"The former greatest villain," Lex corrected her with a smile, but his tone was serious. "However, unlike your ex, your Majesty, I am committed to my woman's happiness."

"And when the cost becomes too high?" Hippolyta pressed him. "What then, Lex Luthor?"

"I have already completed the cost-benefit analysis," Lex said calmly, "and determined that I am more than capable of paying this price," he said, his voice catching the slightest bit at the light in Diana's eyes and the warmth of her smile and the feel of her fingers wrapped around his and how the hell had this even happened to him, anyway?

He was Lex Fucking Luthor! And he was in love.

"Lex worked with the Justice League to turn on his own cohort of villains, Mother," Diana said proudly. "And now almost all of them are in prison."

Hippolyta raised an eyebrow.

"That is admirable," she said cautiously.

"But…?" Diana prompted her with a sigh.

"But time will tell, Little One," her mother said gravely. "And only time."

"And time will prove me faithful to your daughter and her happiness," Lex said with calm certainty.

"I most certainly hope that will prove true, if she is determined to have you," Hippolyta said grimly.

"I truly cannot dissuade you from rushing forward into your hasty union, daughter…?" Hippolyta said despairingly, stretching both hands out to hold Diana's in her own.

"You cannot," Diana smiled, the love in Lex's eyes as they met hers bubbling up in her spirit until Diana felt ready to float away on a pink cloud of champagne.

If only she didn't have to take her mother home, first.

"Very well," Hippolyta groaned in resignation.

"Pippa and I shall attend your wedding, in that case, Little One," the queen said tiredly.

"Mother!" Diana exclaimed in delight, jumping up from her seat to give her mother a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Thank you, a thousand times! It will mean so much to have you there," Diana beamed.

"I thank you as well," Lex added, "although," he said with a small smile, "I know you're not really coming for me."

"On the contrary," Hippolyta said archly. "I am coming entirely for your sake, Lex Luthor," she sniffed.

"Amazon warriors are not nearly as restrained as Diana's colleagues in the Justice League," Queen Hippolyta said, dropping her voice to a deadly verve, "and Philippus and I will not hesitate to run you through with our swords if you should think to live up to the reputation of your gender."

Lex's loud belly laugh filled the jet as Diana's mouth dropped open.

"It will be a great pleasure to be your son-in-law, your Majesty," Lex broadly proclaimed, grinning at Diana. "I have so enjoyed learning where Diana's ferocious warrior instinct comes from."

"Hera knows, she didn't get it from Hades," Hippolyta said primly.

* * *

As Diana carried her mother back to Themyscira, the queen holding her precious orchid in her hands, Hippolyta's mind drifted to the fierce battle that her warriors - including Philippus - had raged against the Underworld to free her from Hades' grasp.

For hours, Hippolyta had endured Hades' taunting offers of food and drink, straining her ears to hear beyond the walls of his locked bedchamber, but to no avail. While she believed that she had a better than average chance of overpowering her lover, the queen had ultimately decided that she was unwilling to risk her Amazons' lives should Hades prevail and order his minions to use deadly force in retaliation.

So, she waited.

Finally, Hades leapt to his feet when the chamber door shook with the power of a battering ram.

"Zeus's balls!" he swore. "They weren't supposed to get this far," he glared at Hippolyta.

"They are Amazons," the queen said with a tiny shrug and not a little pride.

And she was an Amazon as well, and having come to terms with her heartbreak as best she could in the hours before her warriors arrived, Hippolyta was ready.

When Hades strode to his dresser, seeking a weapon, no doubt, as the bedroom door continued to shudder under the crashing assaults of the ram, Hippolyta leapt towards him as soon as his head was turned.

Resolutely walling off the hemorrhaging of her heart, Hippolyta wrenched an unforgiving arm around her lover's neck, yanking his wrist backwards in her other hand and sweeping his legs out from under him with a strong side kick.

As they toppled to the floor, the queen used her momentum to flip Hades facedown while keeping her ever-tightening grip on his neck.

She had no time for sadness as she pulled herself up over his beloved body that she had come to know so well, so sweetly, in such a few fleeting moments now forever passed.

Hippolyta pressed a knee firmly into the small of Hades' back while stamping her other foot onto the back of his knee, all the while attempting to choke, if not the life out of him, then at least the consciousness.

Hades' hands were clutching at her arm around his neck as his free foot scrabbled for contact with the ground before he realized that Hippolyta's pin had rendered his leg useless.

He slammed his hands down to the ground beside his head instead and launched himself sideways, flipping onto his back and slamming Hippolyta to the ground underneath him.

Hippolyta, however, was not a warrior for nothing, and ignored the pain of the impact, instead squeezing her arm even more tightly around Hades' neck and aiming for his eye socket with her spearing free thumb.

Hades let out a strangled, wheezing rasp as she gouged him deeply before he managed to yank her hand away.

Hippolyta had, in the meantime, wrapped her legs around his own so that he could neither rise to his feet nor flip her over again and she was holding on with every ounce of her strength.

Her warriors continued to batter the door.

Soon, soon, it would break, it would surely break, and she only had to keep Hades immobile until then.

Hades, feeling faint, went back to tugging at the queen's arm around his neck when a more sinister ploy crossed his increasingly foggy mind.

Despite his lack of oxygen, his lips still managed to turn up into a leer as he ground his ass firmly into Hippolyta's once welcoming mound.

"Hades!" the queen gasped in shock, loosening her grip on his neck for the barest instant, which the dark lord didn't fail to take advantage of, ripping her arm away and gulping in great breaths of air while ramping up his lewd assault tactics.

With a grunt, Hades snapped his head backwards into his lover's face, causing her to cry out in pain as he kept her wrists firmly encased in his much larger hands.

"Why must you destroy everything we shared?" Hippolyta hissed into his ear, blood dripping from her nose into her mouth, while Hades continued to grind against her.

"We could have been happy," Hades snarled at her over his shoulder. "If you weren't so selfish."

"Me! Selfish!" Hippolyta gasped in rage. "You wanted to entrap me here forever!"

"With _me!_" Hades cried at her just before the door burst open and a whirlwind of Amazons stormed in through the splinters, led by General Philippus.

"To the queen!" the warrior shouted, racing forward to yank Hades off of her Majesty with a ferocious growl.

She tossed him to her waiting troops as the other Amazons quickly raised the queen and began hustling her out of the room.

"The gods will hear of this!" Philippus snapped at Hades as the queen was forced towards the exit far too fast for her liking.

Hippolyta turned her woebegone eyes to Hades, who stood defiantly glaring at her with rage blazing in his eyes.

Rage which did not manage to completely hide the spark of desolation buried deep within from Hippolyta's echoing eyes.

She swallowed down the lump in her throat as her warriors hurried her along.

"My sword," Hippolyta cried out suddenly, halting in her tracks. "Hades hid it! I know not where," she said, turning back towards him with a pleading glance.

"I believe I'll keep it," Hades growled. "As a souvenir," he said darkly to Hippolyta's eyes that were begging him for silence on other matters.

"It is the sword of Hephaestus," General Philippus declared. "You shall not have it."

"I shall," Hades smirked. "What shall you do, Amazon? Torture me, the god of the Underworld? Perhaps you've invented some new method that I've yet to try on my subjects," he snickered.

Hippolyta's stomach turned.

"Where is General Antiope?" she asked Philippus.

The general turned to her and caught the meaning in her eye.

"She is leading the assault on the daemons, my queen," Philippus replied. "Egeria, go fetch either her or the lasso," the general ordered.

The lieutenant turned and fled the room with a few warriors at her side.

"We shall locate the sword, your Majesty," Philippus said to the queen. "Let us return you to the surface."

"No," Hippolyta said in sudden distress, thinking of the very long list of specifics that she did not wish for the lasso to unwittingly reveal.

"I shall question Hades myself," the queen said, attempting to slow her breathing and praying that her panic would be seen as nothing more than battle exertion.

"My queen -" Philippus said in concern.

"- I have made my decision," the queen said formally, smoothing her clothes and attempting to compose herself.

"As you wish, my lady," Philippus murmured, giving the queen a troubled glance before biting her lip and turning to regard Hades.

The general had ordered the rest of the troops into the study when Antiope appeared with the lasso, but Hippolyta was very careful to ask Hades for the location of her sword, and nothing else, before quickly removing the truth-compelling bond.

She breathed a sigh of relief when her troops returned at last with her sword discovered, and, with a sigh, the queen nodded to Antiope and Philippus that she was, finally, ready to leave the Underworld.

The two generals exchanged a glance when Hippolyta looked over her shoulder one last time towards Hades.

"You should not have attempted to kidnap me," the queen said to him quietly, her regret hidden from her voice but evident in her eyes.

"I will have my revenge," Hades promised her with glitteringly malevolent sparks coursing through his pupils.

"You will not," Antiope said decisively, wrapping her arms around Hippolyta's shoulders and escorting her sister from the room.

Of course, it was Diana rather than Antiope who had saved her from Hades' revenge in the end, and that was an irony, wasn't it? Thwarted by his own daughter.

Hippolyta sighed as Diana landed her in the courtyard of their home where Philippus was curled up in the front of the fire, sharpening her sword, the blade gleaming in contrast to her dark brown hands.

"My love?" Philippus asked Hippolyta with some concern as mother and daughter approached her.

"Philippus," the queen murmured in both relief and contentment, surprising her partner and Diana both by pressing a warm kiss to her lover's lips.

"We shall be attending Diana's wedding on Friday," Hippolyta groaned against Pippa's mouth, but she couldn't hold back her affectionate smile for her mate as Philippus let out a squeak of happiness, which the general tried very, very hard to keep reasonably tiny.

"May I return for you on Thursday morning, Mother?" Diana asked hesitantly. "Shayera and Lois, well -"

"Yes?" Hippolyta said patiently, figuring that not much could be worse than her daughter's marriage to Lex Luthor.

"They want to throw a bachelorette rampage for me on Thursday evening," Diana said. "You and Pippa are invited to that, too."

"A rampage?" Pippa said with interest. "I like the sound of that, Polla," she grinned.

"Indeed," the queen said, sounding surprisingly pleased. "I was not aware that humans engaged in celebratory rampages," she said approvingly.

"Thanagarians do," Diana said, and the queen and her consort nodded in sudden understanding, their eyes telling each other what they thought of humans.

"Who shall we be attacking?" Pippa asked eagerly.

"I'm not sure yet," Diana said. "I think it's meant to be a surprise."

"That should be most entertaining," Hippolyta said warmly. "A fine friend, your Shayera," she smiled.

"Yes," Diana said, feeling her heart unfold a little more. "She is a fine friend," Diana said softly.

After Diana had left and Hippolyta and Philippus were curled up together in a blanket by the fire, the queen took a deep breath before squeezing her arms a little tighter around Pippa's waist.

"I lied to you," she said softly.

"About what, love?" Pippa said in surprise, leaning her head back to look up at Hippolyta.

"About Hades," the queen murmured, blushing in embarrassment. "He didn't rape me, Pippa."

"Oh," Pippa chuckled gently, lightly rubbing her hands on Hippolyta's.

"I know, Polla," Philippus said.

Hippolyta jerked.

"How did you know?" she whispered in dismay. "Does everyone know?" she asked in a panic.

"I don't think anyone else knows," Pippa quickly comforted her.

"I saw it in your eyes when we rescued you from him," she said with tender empathy. "As one broken heart to another," Pippa sighed.

"Oh, Pippa," Hippolyta said, her heart tearing for her lover.

For Philippus had, for centuries prior, been partnered with a single Amazon. But Pallas had never desired to forge an eternal bond, despite Philippus's not only willingness but eagerness to do so. Nevertheless, the two had remained monogamous for so long that most of the island had forgotten that they were not, in fact, bonded.

Until Pallas had approached Pippa about opening up their relationship, having grown restless. Philippus was too deeply in love with the woman she viewed as her soulmate, however, and knew that her heart would break into a thousand pieces on a daily basis if she allowed Pallas the freedom that her partner so desired.

So, rather than condemn herself to a never-ending misery, Philippus bravely, but with many tears, ended their relationship, preferring a clean, swift cut rather than a multitude of dull, jagged wounds.

The general had still been deeply in her mourning phase, Hippolyta now realized, when she had come to rescue her queen, her relationship having ended not many months before.

"It's a rare Amazon to have a broken heart," Pippa murmured up to Hippolyta.

"Yes," Hippolyta quietly agreed, hugging her mate tighter.

"I'm sorry," she said after a few more silent minutes had gone by while they watched the firelight dancing in the shadows.

"Why, dear heart?" Pippa asked, smiling up at her and pressing a kiss to her neck. "It was your right to keep your heartache to yourself."

"We've been together for so long, now," Hippolyta said guiltily. "I should have told you sooner. But I was so ashamed, Pippa," the queen sniffed.

"Hades wouldn't be Hades if he wasn't as devious as he was charming," Philippus said soothingly. "And he gave you Diana. That's nothing to be ashamed of, Polla," she smiled.

"Oh, Diana," the queen groaned. "She learned today that the clay I formed her from was metaphorical."

"Oh, my queen," Pippa laughed, her belly shaking as even Hippolyta's shoulders vibrated a little.

"Hera was her midwife, though," Pippa said, with eyes sparkling. "So the part about our goddess breathing life into Diana was partially true, anyway."

Hippolyta laughed some more before growing sober.

"Diana thought Hades had raped me," the queen said in frustration.

"Hades told her he was her father when she recently came back to save him from Faust. She _saved _him, Pippa! And how does he express his gratitude? By shattering her worldview and letting her think she was the child of rape."

"He's Hades," Pippa said dryly.

"Yes," Hippolyta sighed. "And I loved him," she moaned.

"I know," Pippa said with complete acceptance. "And, for what it's worth," she said, "I think he loved you, too, Polla. He just couldn't get out of his own way so he did what came naturally to him."

"And Diana wonders why I worry about her marrying Lex Luthor," Hippolyta groused.

"Well, the worst she'll end up with is a broken heart, Polla," Pippa said. "Because our princess may have left the island of the Amazons, but we Amazons will never leave our princess undefended."

"That's what I told Lex," Hippolyta said with satisfaction. "When I threatened to kill him at his wedding."

"That's my girl," Pippa smiled, giving Polla a kiss to prove it.

* * *

_A/N update on updates! The next update will be on 9/27. Got the outline done and am working on the next chapter. mwah! No worries, dear readers, I have not abandoned you 😊_

_mild TW - Hades and Hippolyta physically fight each other when the Amazons arrive and it does get violent, although not to extremes. Scroll down to next TW for specifics. Also, Hades, at one point, because he is being choked out, uses a sexually charged defense strategy to shock Hippolyta into weakening her grasp. Which he then continues with because he's an asshole. Not because his intention is to rape her. If you want to know the specific act, scroll down to the next TW. _

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_TW #2 -Physical violence - Hippolyta gets head butted hard by Hades, drawing blood. She also gets slammed onto her back when he breaks out of a pin hold she has him trapped him. _

_The sexually charged defense - Hades and Hippolyta are grappling, both on their backs, Hades pinned on top of Hippolyta. He grinds his ass against her to startle her into breaking her chokehold but then he continues doing it until the Amazons break in, because, well, he's an ass. _


	41. Chapter 41

_**Chapter 41**_

Diana's stomach was a bundle of nerves as she made her way through the Watchtower hallways on Tuesday morning.

She'd thought more than once about simply not inviting Dinah and Ollie to her wedding at all, but in the end, the idea of giving into cowardice was even less appealing than the judgment she'd inevitably face from her quite-possibly-former friends when she announced her imminent marriage and then had the gall to invite them to it.

But Oliver and Dinah _were _her friends, or had been, at least, once. Being the one to further slice apart their friendship by snubbing them from a wedding invitation didn't sit any better with Diana than cowardice.

Lex had offered good advice; it never hurt to offer the gift of friendship. Whether or not it was accepted, at least Diana could comfort herself afterwards with the knowledge that she'd done her best to maintain her relationships with the people that she cared about.

Still. Inviting them wasn't going to be easy.

"Good morning, Dinah," Diana said to the Black Canary as she entered the monitoring room, where the fishnet clad superhero was on duty along with four or five other heroes who were scattered throughout the large chamber.

"Oh, Diana," Dinah replied, swiveling in her chair to look at her. "I didn't see you on the duty roster for this morning," she said curiously.

"I'm not," Diana said.

The Amazon princess hesitated for only the barest second before dropping into the empty chair next to Black Canary.

"I, um, wanted to give you an invitation," Diana said, feeling a blush start to stain her cheeks as she fumbled her words.

Hera, her mother would be furious if she could hear her well-bred princess now!

_Decorum, dignity, and diligence, Diana,_ Hippolyta used to remind her daughter time and time again before an important social event.

Perhaps she could have spent a bit more time on diligence, Diana inwardly sighed. She had written out her invitation with the time and address of her wedding in an elegant script on a lovely piece of stationery that Lex had produced for her last night after they had returned home from Themyscira, but Diana had only put together a few words in her head to say to Dinah right before falling asleep.

It had been a very draining day with her mother, after all, and Diana wasn't expecting a good response from Black Canary no matter how she phrased her invite this morning. Still, the princess felt herself suddenly wishing that she'd bothered to rehearse rather than fumbling away her dignity like she was now doing.

Dinah was waiting patiently for her to continue, Diana realized with a start. In her nervousness, the princess shoved her invitation rather awkwardly towards her friend without saying another word. Mortification seeped through Diana's bones as Dinah took the card from her and read it over, her eyebrows climbing higher and higher until they ran out of room to go.

"Oliver is invited too, of course," Diana mumbled as Dinah blinked several times and deliberately shut her agape mouth before daring to raise her eyes to meet Diana's.

At least Diana wasn't the only one flustered now, because Dinah looked to be some ghastly combination of horrified and hoodwinked and her mouth was falling open again without any sound emanating.

Which, considering what Canary could have let loose with, was not the worst possible outcome.

"Friday," Dinah finally gasped and Diana nodded.

"I'll, um, I'll have to check with Ollie," Dinah said hoarsely and Diana nodded again.

"Of course," she said. "You can let me know."

Diana rose and was about to make a relieved escape when Dinah nervously asked, "Who… who are you inviting? From the League?"

"The Founders and Kara, besides you and Ollie," Diana said.

"Oh," Dinah said, now looking terribly guilty and miserable as well as appalled. "Ok, well, I'll talk to Ollie. And get back to you," she said evasively and Diana nodded again.

"Have a good shift," Diana said as she left.

"Holy fucking hell," Dinah whispered to herself as soon as the door shut behind the princess.

On the other side of the door, Diana took a moment to slump in a very undignified manner against the wall and take several deep breaths. She felt like a fool. All her mother's training gone out the window, and right after returning from Themyscira, no less! Diana softly pounded the back of her head against the metal bulkhead.

If only she'd prepared more, she could have given Dinah a lovely little speech about how much she loved Lex, and Diana could have acted proud to be marrying him instead of ashamed. But instead, Diana had given in to emotional weariness and fatigue last night as an excuse to shirk her responsibilities, and now she felt guilty for failing to properly defend both Lex and their upcoming marriage.

With a small groan, Diana set off to find Kara, who was usually down in the gym at this hour, working out under red solar lights to build muscle tone and develop peak form for off-world environments where the lack of a yellow sun would render her as fragile as an ordinary human.

Supergirl had been far from thrilled at Batman's insistence on her new training regimen as a condition of joining the Justice League. The young Kryptonian was a teenager in every sense of the word and preferred relying on her powers to carry her through battles, even going so far as to argue that she shouldn't be assigned to off-world missions due to the potential weaknesses that they might cause her.

But the snarky Bat had brusquely informed Supergirl that her cousin Superman was subjected to the same mandatory red-solar training, including combat training with Wildcat while under his weakened powers, and that Kara would not be joining the League if she was too undisciplined to do the same.

Clark had sighed when Bruce filled him in on the tense exchange over lunch with Diana that day.

"She's young," Clark had tried to say, but the Bat had pinned him with a glare.

"I was training with monks in Mongolia by the time I was her age. Kara is a loose cannon who will do more harm than good until she learns to take orders and get some self-control," Batman growled.

"I agree," Diana had surprised Clark by saying. "I was never allowed to talk back to my mentors or sass my instructors on Themyscira. We don't learn to be responsible in battle by being willful off the field."

"Exactly," Batman had grunted, warming Diana's heart with the cozy closeness that she so loved feeling with her fellow warrior, which she had hoped way back then would lead to an inevitable romance.

Now, though, instead of thinking of Bruce, Diana's heart was filled with regret over her own undisciplined state of mind. Before dating Lex, Diana would never have dreamed of going to bed instead of preparing for the next day's tasks, no matter how mundane they might be. After all, her mother had drilled into her that the mundane tasks in life were the proving ground for the difficult ones and that no task, however small, was worthy of dishonor or shoddy work.

But last night, Diana and Lex had ordered a late-night dinner after their flight home and then curled up on the couch afterwards, Diana's head laying in Lex's lap as he massaged her scalp and played with her long hair, all the while devotedly listening to Diana's sporadic eruptions of leftover emotion from Hippolyta's numerous upsetting revelations.

And Lex had been amazing, Diana thought to herself with a soft sigh. He'd empathized and consoled, and encouraged and teased, too, getting her to laugh from time to time in a way that had slowly lifted her spirits.

She'd almost fallen asleep there in his lap, so when Lex had scooped her up and carried her to bed, tucking her in most tenderly and curling himself around her on top of the blankets to spoon her until she fell asleep, could Diana really be blamed for only haphazardly planning out her encounter with Black Canary with the briefest of thoughts before sliding off into slumber?

Of course, she would have had ample time to strategize her speech on the javelin ride into the Watchtower this morning, but Diana had deliberately taken the shuttle instead of flying out to a zeta tube so that she could look through all of the wonderful wedding planning information that Tess had sent to her and Lex in anticipation of that afternoon's in-person consultation, and, well, how Diana broke the news to Dinah about her wedding had seemed far less important at the time - or interesting, if Diana was being honest.

Hera, was this the first step in a slow descent to slovenly work ethics, Diana wondered to herself with concern as she approached the red-lighted gym. She sighed. At least she expected a better reaction from Kara than she had gotten from Dinah, which shouldn't really excuse Diana's equal lack of preparation for inviting the teenager to her wedding, but, there it was.

Diana Prince, the once near-perfect Amazonian Princess, emblem of regality and grace, was beginning to act startlingly common. It was unnerving. And... embarrassing.

Kara was grunting while lifting weights when Diana stepped into the gym, but the Kryptonian perked up eagerly when she saw the princess.

"Diana!" Kara said with joyful relief. "I could use a break."

Diana frowned.

"Are you in the middle of your sets?" she asked.

Kara groaned.

"I have one more set on the shoulder press," she grumbled.

"I'll wait," Diana said peacefully, seating herself on an empty weight bench and mentally noting that Kara's maturity was still sadly lacking if she was not only willing but eager to disrupt her workout and sabotage its effectiveness for a chat.

Kara could have asked Diana to wait, after all. The princess might need to bring the incident up at Kara's next Founders' review. Supergirl had so much potential, if only she could learn to harness it, Diana thought to herself with some concern.

The Justice League's unexpected encounter with Diana's fellow Amazon Aresia had deeply shaken the princess last year. Aresia had been a mortal shipwreck survivor whom the Amazons had gifted with their own strength, only to see Aresia abandon Themyscira and turn villainess when she reached adulthood.

Ever since their brutal battle with her former sister and friend, Diana had secretly nursed a brooding anxiety for Supergirl's future.

Kara had been sent alone to a strange planet populated with a physically inferior alien race while burdened with the knowledge that her planet and friends and family were no more. It would have been hard for an adult to handle, but Kara was smack in the middle of the most headstrong years of any being's life.

Not to mention, Kara had been sent to Earth expecting to find her cousin Kal-El as a baby who she'd raise and watch over. The girl had mentally prepared herself to be the superior source of knowledge and wisdom and strength, only to have inadvertently remained in suspended animation while Clark grew up.

Being reanimated only to learn that she, Kara, was the child and now expected to submit to not only her grown-up baby cousin, but to his human parents in Smallville, of all places? It had to have been a lot for Kara to bear.

And Diana empathized, she did, and she also saw Kara's good heart and good intentions - but Diana and the Amazons had once believed in Aresia's good heart, too. So, Diana worried.

"I'm ready now," Kara broke into her thoughts by saying.

"Good," Diana said. "Finish your rotation the next time, before taking a break," the princess gently instructed. "I would have said if it was an emergency."

"Ok, ok," Kara sighed, which Diana supposed was a better response than it could have been.

"What's up?" the teenager asked her.

"Well," Diana said, trying to do a better job this time in finding the words, "Lex and I have decided to get married this Friday night, and we'd love for you to come," she said, handing the invitation over to Kara.

There. That had come out well, Diana thought. Why couldn't she have said it that coherently to Dinah?

"Oh, my gosh!" Kara exclaimed, her eyes going big and excited as she stared at the invite. "Of course I'll come!" she said, smiling widely.

"What should I wear?" she asked Diana a second later, looking up with slightly worried question marks in her eyes.

"Well, it's a private club, but more like a very nice bar," Diana said, thinking. "A dress would be appropriate."

"How fancy, though?" Kara asked a little more hesitantly, clearly concerned about getting it right.

Diana gave her a sympathetic smile.

"I am the wrong person to be asking these questions," she admitted. "But," the princess said, brightening, "Vixen is coming, and she ought to know exactly what would be right."

"And," Diana continued, suddenly wondering if finances were causing the teenager concern when not all of the tension left Kara's shoulders, "if you don't have anything that Vixen thinks would do, I'd be happy to buy you a new dress."

"Oh, I don't know…" Kara started to say, blushing a little bit into her shoulder.

"Kara," Diana said firmly. "Lex is a billionaire and I have his credit card. I would be delighted to take you shopping."

"Well, when you put it that way," Kara giggled in relief, "you're the greatest, Diana!" she said, throwing her arms around the Amazon in a sweaty hug.

"I'm glad someone still thinks so," Diana sighed as she tightly hugged the girl back, not minding her perspiration in the slightest.

Kara gave her a knowing look when she pulled away.

"Not everybody's excited about your wedding, huh," she said.

"I'm just glad that you are," Diana said honestly. "It means a lot, Kara. Really."

Kara smiled at her before groaning slightly.

"I guess I'd better finish my workout before talking to Vixen," she said reluctantly.

"Yes," Diana beamed at her. "That is an excellent plan of action," she said.

"Oh," Diana said, turning back as she reached the door, "Shayera and Lois are throwing a bachelorette rampage for me on Thursday night. You're invited to that, too."

"A rampage?!" Kara squealed. "That sounds amazing! We're going to be destroying buildings? Like in the video game?"

"Battling foes, I think?" Diana said, wrinkling her brow. "I'm not exactly sure. Shayera is still working out the details."

"Whatever it is, I'm in," Kara said enthusiastically.

* * *

Diana sighed with relief as she left the gym and headed to her now mostly-uninhabited quarters. It was still nice to have a private spot on the Watchtower that she could escape to, but it was nicer still to be living with Lex, Diana smiled to herself.

One invitation left, and Diana didn't expect anything other than mild teasing at worst, and then only if Arthur joined the call that she was about to make to Queen Mera in Atlantis. Mera, being subjected to far more royal scrutiny than her outspoken husband, would surely handle an invitation with decorum, Diana thought with comfort, no matter what jovial banter Arthur might produce on the matter.

"Princess Diana!" Mera smiled at her once her royal attendants had summoned her for the incoming video chat, "how lovely to hear from you!" Mera said. "I so enjoyed my visit with your mother last week."

"I had opportunity to visit my mother yesterday, your Majesty," Diana said, "and the queen also mentioned how delighted she had been to partake of your company."

Mera beamed at her and lowered her voice to a conspiratorial whisper.

"I am alone in my study," she said. "Except for Arthur Junior, that is," she added, looking down at her infant son who was sleeping in her arms, gnawing on a teething ring.

"Perhaps we could dispense with the formalities and use our given names…?" the queen asked with a sly smile.

"That would be lovely, Mera," Diana smiled back. "Thank you. It felt quite strange to be back on Themyscira yesterday after so long away and I fear I have become a bit rusty with my etiquette."

"A fact which your mother no doubt pointed out to you," Mera said with eyes twinkling.

"Yes," Diana sighed with a rueful chuckle. "I've felt her perched on my shoulder all morning, scolding me."

"Where a mother always should be," Mera laughed. "Isn't that right, baby Arthur?" she cooed to her son, who blissfully slept on, untroubled by his mother's gentle threats.

"But to what do I owe the pleasure of a phone call, Diana?" Mera asked the Amazonian princess, looking like she had been about to say more, but suddenly biting her tongue, which Diana might have filed away in her brain as slightly odd, if she hadn't been feeling quite so defeated and out of sorts from the morning's faux pas.

Instead, Diana scarcely noticed the queen's brief inelegance and forged ahead with her reason for calling.

"Well," Diana said, her smile growing slightly warmer, because if anyone could understand loving your enemy, it was Queen Mera, who had originally been ordered by the ruler of her exiled colony of Altanteans to assassinate the King of Atlantis and instead had fallen in love with Arthur and married him, "Lex and the Justice League successfully put almost all of his villainous colleagues behind bars Sunday night, so we decided to go ahead and get married on Friday," Diana said.

"We'd love for you and Arthur to come. And Arthur Junior, too, if you'd like," Diana added.

"Oh, how thrilling!" Mera exclaimed, genuinely meaning it, and to her dismay, Diana found her eyes clogging with tears despite the smile that broke out on her face.

"Thank you for thinking so, Mera," Diana said brokenly, wiping away her tears with the back of a hand.

"Oh, Diana," Mera said with empathy. "I can imagine that very few people understand your decision, or the feelings that led you to it. It's not easy, sometimes, following love," the queen said more softly, and Diana shook her head.

"It's not," she agreed. "I hate causing my friends so much grief, and my mother - Oh, Mera, when she found out I was marrying a _man _-"

The queen burst out laughing.

"Oh, dear," Mera finally said, wiping her eyes. "Will Queen Hippolyta attend your wedding, then?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes," Diana said, her insides not quite done unfurling with relief that her mother hadn't refused her invitation. "Mother did finally agree to come, although she threatened to run Lex through if he attempted any villainy."

"Of course she did," Mera chuckled. "I would help her, for that matter," she said. "No one betrays such a dear friend and lives," the former assassin said with an only partially-playful ferocious glare.

"Thank you," Diana smiled. "I promise you that I won't need defending, but I am grateful that you cherish our friendship."

"Indeed I do," Mera said. "No one else truly understands my complaints about the royal nonsense I must endure," Mera groaned dramatically.

"Oh, Hera," Diana moaned back. "That's why my mother's spirit was haunting me this morning. I completely failed to prepare for how I would deliver my wedding invitation to Black Canary and I was a stumbling, mumbling mess! I have never been so embarrassed," Diana groaned, dropping her head into her hands.

Mera made a sympathetic noise before wrinkling her brow in consideration.

"Perhaps that's a blessing, though, to not have to live up to such exacting standards anymore. You don't fear that Black Canary will respect you less as a leader, do you? Due to your lack of composure?"

"No," Diana sighed. "I'm quite sure that Dinah has already lost all respect for me as a leader due to my choice of husband. Stuttering over the invitation no doubt paled in comparison to the occasion which it was for," Diana sighed.

"I'm sorry," Mera said honestly. "I know how hard you worked to be respected by your co-founders in the Justice League at first, and then worked harder still to be embraced rather than feared by the Earth-dwellers. It must be a painful loss."

And Diana's heart swelled with consolation at Mera's frank assessment of the situation and her echoing knowledge of grief. False comfort in the form of platitudes would have been foolish and ineffective, but Mera's quiet understanding? It meant the world to Diana.

"It has been difficult," Diana acknowledged, her eyes dropping for a moment, downcast.

"Your love will be worth it," Mera promised her, a happy glow lighting her face as she thought of Arthur, and their son, and their life together.

"Some parts of your life will always be difficult, though," Mera cautioned as Diana raised her head again.

"I miss my family on Xebel terribly and they would never understand the path I chose for myself. And marriage and motherhood can also be inordinately difficult at times," Mera chuckled with a wry amusement that she knew Diana could not yet understand, as freshly doe-eyed as Wonder Woman was in the honeymoon stage of her love.

"But it's still worth it?" Diana asked her friend, looking slightly nervous at the more experienced woman's words.

"Always," Mera declared without hesitation.

* * *

"J'onn," Batman growled in the Batcave, with Shayera looking over his shoulder as they answered the Martian Manhunter's incoming video call. "You have some news?"

"Not the most helpful news, I am afraid," J'onn said with a slight wrinkling of his brow. "I have thoroughly examined all of the employee logs for the period when Green Lantern was incapacitated on the station, which I have cross-referenced with the security footage."

"Barring the infiltration of shape-shifters," J'onn said, "every employee on the Watchtower when John's memories were forged was legitimate."

"That's not unhelpful," Shayera said, drumming her fingers unseen by J'onn on Bruce's muscular thigh. "Ruling out possibilities narrows the field of suspects."

Batman grunted, deep in thought.

"You didn't sense a presence in John's mind the day he was hungover last week, did you?" he asked J'onn. "When he got a worse headache during the Founders' meeting?"

"No…" J'onn answered slowly, "but I did not fully enter his mind as I did when retrieving his memories. You suspect the two events are related?" J'onn said, drawing his eyebrows together in concern.

"Two blackouts in the space of a week for a man who never blacks out?" Batman said thoughtfully. "And a sudden stabbing headache in the middle of a meeting? Check the security footage and let me know exactly what we were discussing right before his pain flared up."

"Please," Shayera added with a twinkle in her eye, causing her Bat to scoff affectionately, although the corner of his mouth curled up the tiniest bit.

"Please," Batman growled with an eye roll to J'onn, who chuckled.

"Shayera is a refining influence on you, Batman," J'onn said.

"Now that's something no one in my life has ever once said about me before," Shayera laughed in amazement.

"The bar is low where Batman is concerned," J'onn teased, earning a rude raspberry back from Shayera.

"Batcave out," Batman huffed, cutting off the link.

Shayera giggled as she pressed her face into Batman's shoulder, prompting him to lift his arm and wrap it around her as she snuggled a little closer and curled her wing around his back.

"What's our next step, Detective?" Shayera asked with a smile while she traced her fingers around the bat outlined on his chest armor.

"We need to contact John and find out where he went drinking that night," Batman said. "Then we'll go interrogate the bartender who was on duty."

"Oo, I like the sound of that," Shayera said. "I'll bring my mace."

"And wear your Gargoyle mask," Batman said, the corner of his mouth quirking.

"Oh, I'll wear my mask," Shayera said in a huskier voice, trailing her fingers up from Batman's chest to his lips. "And when we get home later, I'll wear _just _the mask," she whispered in his ear.

"Me, too," Batman smirked.

"Promise?" Shayera winked.

* * *

"Vixen, John! Can I sit with you?" Supergirl asked cheerfully as she bounced over to the couple seated in the Watchtower commissary, a full lunch tray in her hands.

"Of course, Kara," Vixen said with a smile. "How are you?"

"Well, I was hoping you could help me with something, Vixen," Kara confessed before taking a large bite of her slice of pizza.

"If I can," Vixen said, eying the pepperoni slice with some longing regret.

John chuckled and reached up a hand to rub her neck.

"I'm sure you could burn that off with one good workout, baby," he said to his girlfriend. "Want me to get you a slice?" he asked.

"Thanks, boo, but no," Vixen sighed. "I've got a swimsuit shoot on Saturday and the dairy and sodium will get me all bloated."

"I'll take you out for pizza Saturday night, then," John said and Vixen's eyes lit up.

Was it just her, or was John being a little more thoughtful lately, Vixen wondered as she leaned in to kiss him. The look in his green eyes when he pulled away was definitely more tender than she was accustomed to, Vixen thought, and she didn't want to read too much into it, but she couldn't quite stop her heart from doing a silly little happy dance in her chest.

"How come you have a swimsuit shoot in October?" Kara asked Vixen curiously after swigging down some soda.

"We shoot for the upcoming season," Vixen said. "Designers have to get the clothes ready long before the weather is right to wear them."

"Oh," said Kara. "Actually, clothes were what I wanted your help with."

"You're speaking her language now," John chuckled as Vixen's smile widened.

"Diana invited me to her wedding on Friday," Kara said, "and I don't know what to wear. And she didn't know either, really, but she thought you could give me some advice."

"Oh, you can really dress up for a wedding!" Vixen said with enthusiasm. "The fancier, the better. Now, this one's at a club -"

"It's like a fancy bar, Diana said," Kara interjected.

"So a short dress would be fabulous," Vixen said with authority. "Something glitzy that will sparkle in the dim lights, easy to dance in but super sexy -"

"Hey, hey, you're talking to a teenager, now," John gently chided her.

Vixen looked slightly abashed but Kara rolled her eyes.

"You sound like Kal," Supergirl said, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"Take that back!" John said in horror, making both women laugh.

"I don't own anything that fancy," Kara admitted. "My prom dress was long and poufy and that's the most glamorous thing I have. But Diana said she'd buy me a new dress with Lex's money," Kara said, almost floating off of her chair with excitement.

"Would you come with us to shop, Mari?" the teenager pleaded. "I want to look right."

"I'd love to come," Vixen said, genuinely touched to be asked for help.

She glanced at John.

"No snarky comments about using Lex's money?" she lightly teased.

"Baby, use up as much of that bastard's money as you can," John grinned. "Get Kara the most expensive designer dress on the planet, and shoes, too."

"And a purse," Kara added with glee.

"And new undergarments," Vixen nodded authoritatively. "You might need a strapless bra," she said, "depending what dress we find, and bras are so expensive."

"You're telling me," Kara moaned.

John groaned and dramatically covered his ears.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry," Mari laughed to him.

"Can we join the party?" Black Canary asked, with Green Arrow at her side.

"Sure, sure, have a seat," Mari said, still chuckling slightly at John's antics. "We were just embarrassing John."

"How are you feeling?" Oliver asked him with some concern.

"Back up to par," John said.

"Good," Ollie grunted and Canary nodded.

But the Green Arrow pinned the Green Lantern with a harsh look.

"You shouldn't have gone off after Sinestro by yourself," he said. "We're lucky we didn't lose you."

"I can handle Sinestro," John said with some irritation.

"Apparently not," Oliver said, staring him down.

"Ollie," Dinah murmured under her breath.

"What?" Oliver said. "Backup exists for a reason, GL. You of all people should know that. You had three team members you could have taken with you."

"Who were fighting KGBeast and Evil Star," John said sharply. "Vigilante wasn't a possibility for backup since Sinestro and I were flying, and even as good a shot as Vig is, I wasn't going to leave him to face KGBeast by himself. With KGB's super-strength, Vig probably would have had to take a lethal shot to keep from getting killed himself."

"And need I remind you that Evil Star also flies," John glared at Oliver, "so what, you think I should have put Vigilante's safety on the line instead of my own?"

"I think," Ollie snarked, "that you should have called for backup. Flash could have sent Ice to either follow you or help Vig out and he could have called Wonder Woman's team for help if we started to get crunched being a man down."

"A woman down," Vixen and Dinah mumbled at almost the same moment, before catching each other's eyes and smiling.

"I'm just saying," Oliver went on unperturbed, "that you should practice what you preach, GL. Letting your emotions get in the way of your judgment is a way to get killed, oh fearless leader," he ended somewhat mockingly.

Vixen shot a troubled look at John and was surprised to see that his face had morphed from pissed off to grumpy. The Green Lantern grit his teeth, took a deep breath, and let it out in a long exhale.

"You're right," he admitted.

Vixen's eyebrows shot up and Kara, who had been nervously watching the exchange, looked downright startled at his admission.

"You think Ollie is right?" Supergirl said, her mouth dropping open.

"I know he's right," John said heavily. "I wasn't wrong to leave you and Vig and Fire working together against KGBeast and Evil Star, but I was more than capable of opening my comm channel and asking for backup from Flash or Diana."

"It's personal between me and Sinestro. I wanted to take him myself," John sighed.

"Glad you can admit it," Oliver said. "Next time try not to get yourself killed."

"Speaking of next times, Ollie, don't yell at me again for following my team leader's orders," Supergirl snarked. "You gonna admit that was wrong, too? Or is GL the only one on trial here?" she glowered.

Dinah giggled and Ollie let out a reluctant smile.

"All right, kid, ya got me," he said. "I'm sorry. I was worried about this dumbass over here and I shouldn't have yelled at you about it. We good now?" he asked Kara, who truthfully was a friend and not someone who he wanted to create animosity with.

"We're good after a hug," Kara beamed, jumping out of her chair to run over and throw her arms around Ollie's shoulders from behind.

"Ok, ok, ok," Ollie sighed as he patted her arms under the amused eyes of his friends. "Yes. Good talk. Friendship forever. Rah rah rah," he said dryly to Kara's smiles and squeezes.

"Can we move on to an equally miserable topic?" Dinah asked hesitantly as Kara returned to her seat.

"What would that be?" Vixen asked her curiously, picking up a forkful of plain grilled chicken breast.

"Diana invited me and Ollie to her wedding," Dinah said slowly.

"That's not a miserable topic," Kara argued.

The four adults at the table exchanged glances.

"I guess I mean that I feel miserable about it," Dinah carefully amended with a cautious eye on Supergirl, "because Diana is my friend, but I don't - we don't -" she said to Ollie's firm nod - "necessarily feel right about a League member marrying Lex Luthor. We'd honestly rather not attend, but I feel bad about it, especially since Diana's not inviting that many people."

"If she's your friend, you should go," Kara said with a frown.

"It's complicated, Kara," Vixen said gently. "John and I also don't believe that a Justice League member should be dating or marrying a super-villain. Supposedly reformed or not," she said.

"Are you going to the wedding?" Oliver asked John.

"We are," John sighed. "I said some things I shouldn't have when they first started dating and it caused fissures in the team. I don't feel good about their marriage, but I need to be there for the sake of the Founders' unity," he grumbled.

Oliver grunted.

"I can understand you going, maybe, but we're not Founders," he said.

"But you're still her friends," Kara protested.

"Sometimes being a friend means standing against your friend's bad decisions," Dinah said heavily.

"You don't know that marrying Lex is a bad decision, though!" Kara said. "He saved Kal's life during the raid on the Legion of Doom. And he hasn't done anything wrong since dating Diana."

"And how long has that been?" Oliver said dryly. "Not the world's most impressive track record yet, kid."

"Won't you feel bad if he's really changed and everything's fine for years and years and years afterwards and you didn't go to their wedding?" Kara persisted. "It'll hurt your friendship with Diana forever."

Dinah sighed.

"That's why I'm conflicted," she said guiltily. "But I don't know that showing up is going to do that much to preserve our friendship when she already knows that we don't approve. Do you think Diana really wants two scowling friends there thinking terrible thoughts about her husband the whole time she's exchanging vows with him?"

"Well, that's just mean," Kara said with wounded dismay. "Couldn't you try to be happy for her?"

"How come you're on board with it?" John said. "Given how many times Lex has tried to kill your cousin."

"Grandma and Grandpa say anybody can change," Kara said. "And Clark's not mad at Lex about it. I think it's super romantic," Kara beamed, "that Lex fell in love with Diana so hard that he's giving up villainy."

"If it's true," Vixen said.

"Even if it's not true," Kara said, "wouldn't you still be friends with Diana afterwards? Or are you going to hate her forever for getting tricked and having her heart broken into a million little pieces?"

"It depends on how many people Lex kills in the process of breaking her heart," Oliver muttered, meeting John's agreeing eyes.

"I'd want to still be Diana's friend," John said slowly, "but honestly, Kara? Sacrifices are part of a soldier's life. A true solider," he added with a small scowl. "If our comrades fall due to Wonder Woman's choices? I don't know if I'll be able to forgive her for that or not."

"Oh," Kara said quietly as her face dimmed.

"I'm glad you're going to the wedding," Dinah said gently, reaching out to pat Kara's hand. "I want Diana to feel loved and supported. But we all have to live with our own consciences, too, after the fact."

"Yeah, I guess," Kara mumbled. "Well, um, I'm gonna go back to my training," she said, getting up to clear her tray. "You'll still come dress shopping with me, though, Mari?" she asked slightly anxiously.

"Of course I will," Vixen reassured her. "And it will be fabulous," she said with a smile.

"Ok," Kara said softly. "See you later, guys."

The group said their good-byes as the teenager walked off, her head decidedly lower than it had been when she'd first approached. Dinah sighed.

"Well, now I feel like an even bigger piece of shit," she said. "I just burst her happy little bubble."

"Kid's gotta grow up sometime, babe," Ollie said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders. "We aren't the Pajama Party League."

"Yeah," Dinah mumbled. "I feel bad, though."

"I feel bad I'm going to the wedding," John said. "You feel bad you're not. Kara feels bad that we feel bad…"

"It's a mess," Vixen agreed, reaching out to thread her fingers through her boyfriend's.

"For what it's worth, I think Diana feels bad, too," Dinah said. "I know she didn't mean to fall in love with the wrong guy."

"Falling in love with the wrong person doesn't mean you have to stay with them," John pointed out in a voice laced with personal experience.

He squeezed Mari's fingers a little tighter.

"It also doesn't mean that you'll never fall in love with the right person," he said.

John didn't look at Mari as he spoke, but that didn't stop her heart from fluttering.

* * *

_A/N I'm aiming to have the next chapter up in two weeks, but it may be a bit longer. We'll have to see how things go. I'm in the last few chapters of Red Knight which are taking a little longer to write, but once that story wraps up I'm planning to be back to regular bi-weekly updates on Light in the Dark. Until then, I'm aiming for every two weeks and keeping my fingers crossed. _

_You can follow me on Tumblr as River9Noble. _


	42. Chapter 42

_A/N - Lemons ahead. Read at your own risk! _

* * *

_**Chapter 42**_

"Diana," Lex said with pleasure when their private penthouse elevator deposited her into his LexCorp office.

He'd spent a productive morning tying up loose ends of business in preparation for their honeymoon while Diana was on the Watchtower delivering her wedding invitations, but as Lex had a rather special afternoon planned for his fiancée before their meeting with Tess, he was more than ready to set his work aside and welcome his woman home.

Diana did her best to give him a smile, but Lex could see the droop in her normally confident, thrown-back shoulders, despite the fact that she'd already changed out of her uniform and was wearing one of her new dresses that left a little more to the imagination.

"Come here, baby," Lex said sympathetically, opening his arms wide with an understanding softness in his eyes.

Diana sighed and gratefully made her way over to where Lex sat at his desk so she could climb into his lap, slinging her legs sideways across his and curling into his chest as Lex consolingly wrapped his arms around her.

"It didn't go so well, I take it?" Lex asked her, pressing a kiss into his woman's forehead.

"Kara was excited," Diana said as her fingers came up to play with the collar of Lex's crisp white button down shirt. "Mera was happy for us, too, genuinely so and very supportive."

"But…?" Lex said, filling in Diana's brow with criss-crossed trails of tiny kisses.

"But I embarrassed myself horribly when I tried to invite Dinah to the wedding. I was so tongue-tied and ineloquent, Lex!" Diana moaned in dismay.

"I let you down," she said, looking up at him with sad eyes.

"Diana, how could you possibly have let me down?" Lex asked her in amazement. "I expected that inviting Black Canary would be difficult for you. It was brave of you to do it."

"But I acted so flustered and ashamed," Diana said, her eyes filling with tears. "Like I wasn't proud to be marrying you," she sniffed, "and like Dinah wasn't wrong for judging me for it," Diana sobbed out, turning her face full into Lex's chest in guilty self-recrimination.

"And I _am _proud to be marrying you," Diana said with muffled voice as she shook with tears, "and I should have conveyed that instead of acting like a child stammering out foolish excuses to her mother when she's been caught throwing knives that she'd been explicitly told not to use unsupervised," Diana moaned, "even though the fact that I'd hit every bulls-eye on my homemade targets should have made her proud."

Lex chuckled, warm and fond, his chest rumbling against Diana's tear-stained face as one of his hands found its way up to knead the back of her neck.

"Stealing your mother's knives, hm?" he laughed. "Your infatuation with villainy goes way back, I see," he teased her, and Diana couldn't help but let out a small giggle.

Lex had such a way of turning every dark situation brighter, Diana thought to herself with gratitude, finding herself awestruck again that this was the man she was _marrying. _How had she gotten so lucky, Diana wondered, to find someone who, unlike Batman, lifted her spirits instead of dragging them down abysmally lower?

"I love you so much," Diana said, raising her wet eyes up to Lex's, "and now I feel like I've disgraced that," she said sadly, "and only a few days before our wedding, too."

"Stop that," Lex said firmly, taking Diana by surprise with his commanding tone before plundering her mouth with his tongue, kissing her so fiercely and passionately that Diana's stomach clenched and her toes began to curl and her hand, which had been loosely tangled in Lex's shirt, suddenly found itself clinging to the back of his head for support, because the way Lex was kissing her, Diana feared that she would lift off and combust on the spot, and Hera help her, her clit was on fire and her panties were getting wet despite the fact that the only place Lex's hand had strayed was to the side of her face, which he was holding with decisive ownership as he kissed her into the stratosphere.

"Lex," Diana panted out when he finally drew back the slightest bit, his dark eyes glittering over her dilated ones, and God help him, he wanted to take her right here and now; to stretch her out on his oversized desk and strip off her panties and eat her out from his desk chair like the rich-ass business magnate he was, with Diana's legs quivering on his shoulders as she shuddered and writhed under him while he sucked and licked at her dripping core until she was crying his name and begging to come and swearing that she understood that nothing she did could ever possibly tarnish the love that she had for him, because the fact that she loved him at all was a miracle, and what Lex wouldn't give to force those words out of Diana's mouth as he edged her until the fierce Amazon warrior was a whimpering mess helplessly arching for his tongue and thirsting for his fingers until he finally granted her release, plunging a probing digit into that tight virgin pussy as he lapped up her juices and feasted on her clit until she was screaming out her climax and shattering all around him while chanting the name that didn't even deserve to be on her lips, like it was a prayer to one of her false gods and -

\- and Diana's blue eyes were staring amazed into his, wide and blown, and Lex's cock was hard as a rock.

"Go upstairs and make yourself come," Lex ordered her in a rough voice. "Spread out on my bed."

"Ok," Diana whispered in shock, loosely removing her limbs from his body in an obedient daze.

Lex felt sure that his heated gaze must be rivaling Superman's in the eternal seconds that lengthened interminably as a woozy Diana stumbled her way to the elevator. He almost cursed out loud when she paused to turn back to him before getting in.

"You will, too?" she asked him, biting her lip.

"Fuck, yes," Lex said in a tight voice.

"Ok," Diana whispered again, but with a wispy, delighted smile lighting up her very-almost-nearly-fucked-out face.

"Scream my name," Lex added harshly, just before the doors shut on her.

"You, too," he barely heard float out to him in Diana's sultry tones that had a hint more of the commanding warrior peeking through.

"Oh, I will," Lex muttered to himself, already undoing his pants.

* * *

It was a much less wound up Lex who made his way into his bedroom ten minutes later.

He growled low in his throat to see a post-orgasmic Diana curled onto her side on top of his covers, her arms wrapped around his pillow as she wantonly inhaled Lex's scent from it. The visible wet spot on his blanket nearly made Lex get hard again, but he was Lex Luthor, dammit.

Surely he could practice at least a little self-control.

"I screamed so loud," Diana said, looking up at him with a dreamy smile on her face that made Lex regret the sound-proofing in his bedroom.

"I did, too," Lex said with deep satisfaction as he sat on the edge of the bed to pull his shoes off before stretching out next to Diana and rolling her into his arms.

"No more talk about you desecrating our love," Lex said sternly, looking down into Diana's eyes, "because for you to ever do that would be impossible."

"Ok," Diana said softly, her will to argue gone.

She closed her eyes into their cuddles, sighing in delight as she wiggled her way a little tighter into Lex's arms which squeezed her even harder in return.

"This feels so much better than normal snuggling right now," Diana mumbled against him.

"Science says post-coital cuddles increase the oxytocin rush," Lex murmured back.

"Is that what the scientists call it?" Diana said sleepily. "Post-coital cuddles?" she giggled.

"That's all Lex Luthor," he bragged back, stroking a hand along the silky fabric of her dress.

"We could trademark it, then," Diana said thoughtfully as she nuzzled in closer. "As a catch phrase for our sex toy line."

Lex burst out laughing, his belly shaking against hers as his sleepy girl smiled with a hint of pride.

"I love you so much," Lex wheezed out.

"I love you, too," Diana said. "I'll try not to fear dishonoring that from now on," she said softly.

"Mm," Lex hummed against her cheek. "I have ways to balance you out if you start to go into a tailspin again," he said, smacking Diana's clothed ass playfully, but with a healthy enough amount of force that Diana twitched and shivered against him as a small moan escaped her lips.

She buried her smiling face in Lex's chest as she squirmed from the new moisture leaking out of her core.

"Oh, Diana," Lex chuckled, dark and low, "I am going to enjoy every minute of our sex life."

"Me, too," Diana promised, raising her sparkling eyes back up to his.

* * *

"Batman," the Green Lantern said as he answered his incoming comm message on the Watchtower. "What can I do for you?"

"How are you feeling?" the Dark Knight grunted out, which was kind of new.

Batman usually didn't go in for interpersonal chitchat, and it touched John's heart more than he wanted to admit that the Bat was clearly making an effort to repair their friendship.

"Back up to form," John said, "although J'onn doesn't want me going out on any missions until tomorrow, just to be safe."

"That's wise," Batman muttered. "What bar were you at last week when you blacked out drunk?"

"Oh," John said, furrowing his brow as he thought, although he was unoffended by the rapid change of topic.

Bats was still Batman, after all, and truthfully, John didn't mind his friend's laser focus and direct approach to business.

"Uh, it was off of Frederick Douglass Boulevard," GL thought out loud, "around 134th, 135th street maybe? Just a hole in the wall place. Nowhere I'd been before. I was looking to drink incognito a good distance away from my own pad."

Batman sighed.

"I need the name. Can you find it again today and let me know?" he said.

"Sure," John said, sounding puzzled, though. "How come? You think I got roofied?" he chuckled.

"Maybe," Batman said grimly.

"Oh," John said, sounding more serious. "I was drinking alone as far as I remember," he said.

"But you don't remember getting home," Batman said.

"No…" GL said. "But I don't see what last week's blackout would have to do with the Legion of Doom raid."

"It probably doesn't," Batman lied, "but I want to rule out any possible connections so we know for sure."

"Ok," John said easily. "Well, since J'onn doesn't want me answering any distress calls at the moment, I can zeta down to Earth now and locate the exact coordinates of my watering hole."

"Good," Batman grunted. "Let me know."

* * *

Although Lex and Diana would have gladly stayed wrapped up in bed together for the rest of the afternoon, they did have lunch reservations at Chez Maurice, which Lex was eager to keep due to his surprise for Diana afterwards, so he had reluctantly coaxed her out of bed and downstairs to their waiting limo, although they had freshened up a bit first.

"I feel like I should change dresses as well as panties," Diana had murmured with a small blush when she got up, but Lex had stopped her in her tracks with a ravenous stare.

"Don't you dare," he growled. "I want to spend the rest of the day imagining what you did in that dress."

Diana had turned even redder, but she'd left the dress on, to Lex's great delight and his cock's great discomfort, even though the hard-on was worth it. Maybe he'd make it through the next three days after all, the way his heart truly wanted to despite his body's arguments to the contrary, if he kept finding new ways to spice up the waiting.

God, he loved his Diana and she'd been so hot and willing to play along with his masturbation fantasy and soon she wouldn't be stretched out by herself on his bed, and she was glancing at him under smirkingly hooded eyelids with a knowing smile as they dined.

"Not much longer," she said, rubbing a gentle high-heeled foot along his calf underneath the cover of the floor-length tablecloth at the swanky French bistro.

"Tell that to my cock," Lex mumbled in quiet dismay, and Diana giggled.

"I love you, Lex Luthor," she said affectionately before leaning in to whisper in his ear, "and soon I'm going to love your cock."

"Diana!" Lex choked, coughing on his sip of wine.

His face was red as Diana cheerfully whacked on his back, but the color in his cheeks was definitely not due to the lack of air in his lungs. Diana's eyes twinkled merrily at him as Lex regained his composure and she innocently went back to eating her lunch while amusing herself by giving him demure little glances every time he lifted his wine glass to his lips.

"Minxes get punished," Lex eventually murmured to her out of the corner of his mouth with a sexy growl.

"Maybe I want to be punished," Diana hummed right back with a flirty eyelash bat.

Lex's hand slammed abruptly onto the table and he quickly stood, giving Diana a dark but longsuffering look of misery-mingled-elation as he briskly strode to the men's room. Diana giggled to herself and swung her heels against her chair leg, feeling rather elated herself, even if she didn't need to rush off to take care of it.

"Ah, Mademoiselle Prince," the restaurateur Maurice said, approaching their table. "Lunch is satisfactory, I hope?" he asked her.

"It's delicious," Diana said sincerely. "May we please get some dessert to go?"

"But of course," Maurice enthused before launching into a description of the day's specials.

Diana chose a mille-feuille and a selection of macarons for her and Lex to share and she was just finishing her glass of wine when Lex made his way back to their table, giving her an amused but smoldering glance.

"You delectable villainess," he muttered into her lips as he reseated himself and pulled Diana into a possessive kiss. "I love you," he said.

"I love you, too," Diana smiled up into his eyes. "I ordered us some dessert to go."

"I've already had mine," Lex said.

* * *

"Hiya, Mr. Pennyworth, this is Wally West," the neatly dressed redhead on the videocom said from the gated entrance of the security walls surrounding Wayne Manor.

"I'm a friend of Clark Kent's. I was hoping I could see him?"

"Of course, Mr. West. Please come right up," Alfred said politely as he remotely opened the estate gates for the incognito speedster.

He _could_ tell Master Bruce that the young man was here, but Mr. West had requested to see Master Clark, not the master of the house, so Alfred chose to leave the Bat be and went to the front door to welcome their guest.

"Master Wally, welcome," Alfred said, extending a hand to shake. "It is a pleasure to meet you at last."

"You, too, Mister P," Wally said with a beaming smile. "I've heard a lot about you from Shayera lately," he grinned, "but before she started dating Batsy, I didn't even know you existed."

"Master Bruce can be rather tight-lipped," Alfred solemnly agreed.

"Tight-other parts, too, if ya know what I mean," Wally winked with a giggle that actually made Alfred's lips twitch in amusement.

"How's the Big Guy doing?" the speedster asked as Alfred led him through the manor.

"Master Clark is nearly recovered," Alfred said, "much to the relief of us all."

"That's good," Wally breathed out. "I was really worried about him. I would have come sooner but Bats had me working the case with him over at the Legion of Doom HQ and then I had to catch up on some cases for my civvie job. Good thing I'm a speedster," he sighed, shaking his head dramatically.

"Indeed," Alfred said with a kind smile. "I know of no other hero who works such a heroic day job, young sir, and one that is so demanding to boot. And yet you find time to protect Central City as the Flash on top of it and to serve the Justice League, as well. It is a wonder you manage it all even with your speed, Master Wally," Alfred said with true sincerity.

"Aw, Mister P!" Wally said, a little overcome. "Thanks, buddy!" he beamed. "That means a lot, coming from you," he said.

"Coming from me?" Alfred asked him, raising a curious eyebrow as they ascended the stairs.

Wally leaned in conspiratorially.

"Shayera said that you used to be a warrior yourself, back in the day."

Alfred stopped in his tracks as both eyebrows went as high as his receding hairline.

"Did she, indeed…?" he said slowly.

Wally winked.

"Don't worry, Mister P, your secret's safe with me," he grinned. "Although," he said, as they resumed climbing, "some edible bribery would sure help me keep my mouth occupied with other things than your secrets," he said, skipping a little as they reached the top of the stairs.

"Shayera said you make the most awesome biscuits…"

Wally looked up at Alfred with puppy dog eyes.

"Biscuits are best in the morning, Master Wally," Alfred said regretfully, "as the dough needs to rise. But I believe that I may be up to the task of providing you with an equally delectable backhander."

Wally gave him a look.

"What's a backhander?" he whispered. "Not a sock to the mouth, I hope," he said with mock anxiety.

"Good heavens, no," Alfred chuckled. "A backhander is the Queen's English."

The butler slyly slipped his hand behind his back to Wally in a pantomime of paying him off.

"Ohhh, I get it," Wally laughed. "I like it, Mister P. Very apt."

"Indeed," Alfred smiled.

He rapped on the door to the guest bedroom before opening it to reveal a suited up Superman sitting on top of the made bed next to Lois, both typing away on laptops under the still-shining rays of the solar light lamps.

"Wally," Superman said with a big, surprised smile. "I wasn't expecting to see you!" he said.

"Papa!" Wally cried, dramatically racing around the bed to fling his arms around Superman's neck. "I missed you!" he wailed.

"Good Lord," Lois muttered under her breath, although she accompanied her words with a somewhat amused snort and an eye roll to the equally gently-appalled Alfred, who took the opportunity to bow himself out, closing the door behind him.

"You didn't tell me we adopted him," Lois said to Clark, nudging him in the ribs with an elbow as she continued to type.

"It was going to be a surprise," Clark grinned back. "For our wedding. 'I now declare you husband and wife and man-child.'"

"Aw, Mama, I love you, too," Wally cooed as he clambered over Superman and wedged his way in-between him and Lois on the bed.

Wally tried to wrap his arms around Lois's shoulders in a giant squish, but even as Lois was angrily shrugging and elbowing him off Wally found himself plucked backwards and deposited on the other side of Superman.

"Mommy doesn't like to be touched," Clark scolded him - playfully in tone, but with a serious enough look in his eye that Wally hung his head.

"Oh. I'm sorry, Lois," the speedster said, looking genuinely abashed. "I won't do it again."

"Ok," she said, glancing over at him and apparently satisfied with what she saw.

"Is this a secret meeting?" she asked. "Or can I keep working in here?"

"I don't think it's secret," Wally said thoughtfully, leaning back against the pillows and kicking his heels up and down on the bed. "I was just coming to say hi and check up on the Big Guy."

"Thanks, Wally," Clark said with a genuinely touched smile. "I appreciate it."

"Of course, Papa," Wally smiled back. "This is some mattress," the speedster commented with admiration as he continued to drum his feet on the bed while reclining next to Clark.

"How much do you think this cost?" he asked the couple.

"A lot," Lois said dryly.

"I have a lot," Wally said thoughtfully. "Bats gave me a whole bunch of cash the other day for a new memory card for my camera. Plus dinner. Because he stole my card. But there's a lot left over. Maybe I'll get me one of these," he said, rolling first to his right side, then his left, as he wiggled deeper into the cushioning to test it out.

"Wally, you don't have a good mattress?" Lois said with some concern.

The speedster shrugged.

"Not as good as this," he said honestly.

"For heaven's sake," Lois fussed, "with all the money Bruce has, you'd think he could buy decent mattresses for the heroes on his team!"

"Aw, no," Wally said, turning a little red, "Bats already does so much for us. He built the whole Watchtower and he pays for all our gear and he doesn't need to buy the little stuff, too. I mean, most of us in the Justice League have to work real jobs to pay our bills," he said, looking embarrassed.

"Even Supes," he said, looking up at Clark for confirmation.

"Yes," Clark agreed, laying a gentle hand on Lois's knee. "From the outside it seems simple, but we all have our pride," he tried to explain to his fiancée. "It's good for us to stand on our own two feet and feel a little normal in one aspect of our lives," Clark said.

"Hmph," Lois said, pursing her lips up.

She'd let it go for the moment, since the topic clearly distressed Wally, but she was going to have a word later with Bruce.

"Oh, hey, there is one thing I wanted to talk to you about," Wally said to Clark. "We need to throw the Princess a bridal shower."

"Oh, God," Lois groaned. "She needs one of those, too? I'm already roped into throwing the bachelorette party with Shayera, and God knows what that's going to turn out like, because apparently Thanagarian brides go around killing people the night before their wedding."

"Kinky," Wally winked with a grin and a giggle, getting a pillow thrown at him by Lois, although it was with a playful smile.

Clark smiled and patted Lois's knee.

"If we throw the bridal shower on the Watchtower, it can just be for the Founders."

"Plus Vixen," Wally said.

"Plus Vixen," Clark agreed. "You won't have to come, honey," he promised his dispirited fiancée.

"Good," she grunted.

Lois really _did _sound like Bruce at times, Clark thought to himself with a quickly suppressed giggle. Maybe he was noticing it more because they were in Wayne Manor, but it wouldn't do to draw Lois's attention to the fact. Clark valued his life, after all, and nearly losing it once this week was more than enough.

"Would you be up to doing the bridal shower tomorrow, Big Guy?" Wally was asking him. "Because Thursday's the bachelorette party - which I should definitely, one hundred percent, be on the guest list for, Mama," the speedster said to Lois with a big, pleading, puppy dog smile.

Lois snorted.

"Fine by me," she said.

"Hooray!" Wally squealed but Clark shook his head, laughing.

"No, no, I need Wally for Lex's bachelor party. You can't have him," he said.

Lois groaned loudly with disgust even as Wally's eyes lit up.

"A bachelor party!" he exclaimed with glee before suddenly frowning and saying severely, "No strippers."

"Of course not!" Clark gaped at him. "I would never!"

"Ok, good," Wally sighed with contentment. "Then I'll come."

"That's very sweet you don't want strippers there, Wally," Lois said approvingly.

Wally beamed at her.

"My Aunt Iris raised me right," he said, "to respect women who strip but not to partake of their services. I'm supposed to be a gentleman," he smiled, "because everybody loves a gentleman," he said, clearly quoting his aunt.

"My son takes after his father," Clark boasted with a proud grin that made Lois chuckle as he reached out to ruffle Wally's hair.

"Well, he couldn't have a better role model," Lois smiled up at Clark, who looked back down at her so lovingly that Wally got uncomfortable and decided to turn his head and gaze out of the window.

The moment was saved by Alfred's light rap at the door.

"Come in!" Lois called cheerfully.

"Ah, Miss Lois, Masters Clark and Wally," Alfred said as he entered carrying an enormous silver tray laden with a dozen gorgeously prepared bistro-style sandwiches as well as an enormous cheesecake.

Wally's jaw fell open as he took in the fresh baked bread laden with tenderly flaking pot roast and perfectly cooked steak and gourmet cheeses and hot grilled onions.

"Mister P!" he breathed out in awe. "You outdid yourself!"

"No one goes hungry in my house," Alfred gently tutted as he set the tray down on the sideboard. "And there are more where these came from," he smiled gently at the young man who was already on his feet so that he could drool up close and personal over Alfred's delicacies.

"What kind do you want, Lois?" Wally asked her, his manners earning him a secretly pleased smile behind his back from Alfred.

"I'll have steak," Lois said. "Thanks, Wally," she smiled, meeting Alfred's eye.

"Big Guy?" Wally said as he dished up Lois's meal.

"Pot roast for me. Thank you," Clark said, feeling a happy warmth in his heart at their young friend's genuine kindness of spirit and generosity.

It was no wonder that Batman had called Wally the heart of their team, Clark mused. Although, he thought with a little shiver, it was precisely because Wally was so endearing and loveable that Superman, in the alternate Justice Lords timeline they had visited, had been so enraged by Lex's murder of the speedster that the Man of Steel had broken his own morals to kill Lex in retaliation, setting off the Justice League's terrifying descent into cruelty and injustice as they became the dictators of Earth.

As Wally happily scarfed down Alfred's spread while Clark and Lois dined at a more reasonable pace, Clark couldn't help but consider once again the potential for evil that lay in his own heart, which had haunted him ever since encountering the Justice Lords. He'd once thought that he'd never be capable of murder, but to realize that even he, Superman, could fall from grace under the right set of circumstances?

It was a sobering thought.

Clark had talked long and hard with his Ma and Pa about it, who had counseled him to be more mindful about deliberately choosing his response to every situation rather than automatically relying on his good upbringing which, while it rarely steered him wrong, didn't exercise Clark's self-discipline muscles or allow him to pause and think through his actions before reacting.

Lois had backed up his parents' advice.

"It's the difference between being an investigative reporter," she'd said thoughtfully, "versus interviewing people for your slice of life fluff. I have to be way more savvy and cunning in my every reaction to my victims -"

" - interviewees -" Clark had murmured with a small smile.

" - whatever," Lois had grinned. "It's like playing chess. I have to consider my every word, my tone, my facial expressions, and foresee the consequences of my choices ten moves ahead in the game."

"But for your fluff pieces, you just have to be yourself," Lois had said to him. "It _is_ more reactive. I think your parents are wise to advise you against overly relying on instinct now that you know that you could snap one day."

"So I need to be more like Batman?" Clark had groaned, dropping his head into his hands in mock agony.

"Well…" Lois had sighed. "He's never killed anybody. Not even in the Justice Lords timeline," she said. "If there is anyone who's the definition of deliberate..." she said regretfully.

Clark had moaned a little more, but he'd taken his girlfriend's and his parents' words to heart, which was undoubtedly what had given him the patience he'd needed to deal with the fracturing Founders over the last few weeks when he and J'onn had been unwillingly thrust into the role of parents to a disruly bunch of squabbling superheroes.

Although the extended Justice League was still divided about Diana's romance with Lex, at least the Founders were slowly reconciling, Clark thought to himself, and no matter how they'd tried his nerves in the process, Clark felt good that he'd maintained his integrity while he and J'onn had leaned on each other to shoulder the burden of the team's unity.

Still, Clark couldn't deny that Lex's reformation had been a welcome relief that had greatly eased his anxiety about Superman's possible future in his own timeline. If Lex was no longer a villain, then Clark didn't have to worry about him killing Wally one day or about killing Lex himself.

Not that other disasters couldn't befall his team, but knowing that the one very specific crisis of conscience that he had most feared had been averted? Clark was incredibly grateful.

In fact, Wally was babbling between bites of sandwiches about how he and J'onn were going over to Lex and Diana's tonight to watch a movie, and wasn't that sweet? Lex Luthor, hosting the Flash and the Martian Manhunter for movie night, with Wonder Woman at his side.

It made Clark feel downright cozy and right with the world, the way that Lex had embraced change. And if Lex could override his destiny from that awful alternate universe, that meant that Clark could escape his, too.

* * *

_A/N - Thanks for reading! The next update will probably be out in 3-4 weeks. Only a few chapters left to go on "Red Knight" which are taking a bit longer to write, and then once that's off my plate I'm hoping to get back to bi-weekly updates on "Light in the Dark," although we'll see. This last chapter took more time than some of the others, so I'll get a better sense as I write the next few as to what the future update schedule will be. _


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